Methods for forming ethylbenzene from polystyrene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10913694-B2
Application number	US-201916513948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2019
Priority date	Jul 30, 2018
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

According to one or more embodiments presently disclosed, a method of catalytically converting polystyrene may include contacting polystyrene with a catalyst to form a product comprising ethylbenzene. The catalyst may include oxidized iron, oxidized cobalt, and oxidized copper. The catalyst may further include a mesoporous support material with pores having an average pore diameter of from 2 nm to 50 nm.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of catalytically converting polystyrene, the method comprising:
contacting polystyrene with a catalyst to form a product comprising ethylbenzene, where the catalyst comprises:
catalytic oxidized metal materials comprising:
oxidized iron;
oxidized cobalt; and
oxidized copper; and

a mesoporous support material comprising pores having an average pore diameter of from 2 nm to 50 nm,

wherein a weight ratio of iron atoms:cobalt atoms:copper atoms in the catalyst is 1:0.4-0.6:0.5-0.7.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the polystyrene is in a liquid phase when contacted with the catalyst.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the polystyrene is contacted with the catalyst in an atmosphere comprising one or more of oxygen, an inert gas, or a reducing gas.

4. The method of claim 1 , where:
the product comprising ethylbenzene comprises a liquid phase and a solid phase; and
a weight ratio of liquid phase to solid phase is at least 2:1 at 25° C.

5. The method of claim 4 , where the liquid phase comprises greater than 60 mole percent ethylbenzene.

6. The method of claim 1 , where the polystyrene contacts the catalyst within one of a fluidized bed reactor, a continuous stirred tank reactor, a batch reactor, a stirred tank reactor, a slurry reactor, or a moving bed reactor.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the mesoporous support material comprises alumina material or silica material.

8. The method of claim 1 , where the mesoporous support material comprises gamma alumina.

9. The method of claim 1 , where at least 95 wt. % of the catalytic oxidized metal materials are a combination of the oxidized iron, the oxidized cobalt, and the oxidized copper.

10. The method of claim 1 , where at least 95 wt. % of the mesoporous support material comprises alumina.

11. The method of claim 1 , where at least 95 wt. % of the catalyst is a combination of the catalytic oxidized metal materials and the mesoporous support material.

12. A method of catalytically converting polystyrene, the method comprising:
contacting a feed stream comprising polystyrene with a catalyst to form a product stream comprising ethylbenzene, where the catalyst comprises:
catalytic oxidized metal materials comprising:
oxidized iron;
oxidized cobalt; and
oxidized copper; and

a mesoporous support material comprising pores having an average pore diameter of from 2 nm to 50 nm,

wherein a weight ratio of iron atoms:cobalt atoms:copper atoms in the catalyst is 1:0.4-0.6:0.5-0.7.

13. The method of claim 12 , where the feed stream comprises at least 50 wt. % of polystyrene.

14. The method of claim 12 , where the product stream comprises a liquids fraction at 25° C.

15. The method of claim 12 , where the liquids fraction comprises at least 60 mole percent ethylbenzene.

16. The method of claim 12 , where:
the mesoporous support material comprises alumina material.

17. The method of claim 12 , where at least 95 wt. % of the catalytic oxidized metal materials are a combination of the oxidized iron, the oxidized cobalt, and the oxidized copper.

18. The method of claim 12 , where at least 95 wt. % of the mesoporous support material comprises alumina.

19. The method of claim 1 , where the polystyrene is contacted with the catalyst at a temperature of less than 350° C.

20. The method of claim 12 , where the feed stream is contacted with the catalyst at a temperature of less than 350° C.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Univ King Abdullah Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Al-Jabri Nouf Mohammed
• Huang Kuo-Wei

Classifications

• C07C2523/75

  Cobalt · CPC title

• C07C2523/745

  Iron · CPC title

• C07C2523/72

  Copper · CPC title

• C07C2521/04

  Alumina · CPC title

• C07C15/073

  Ethylbenzene · CPC title