Study on using cellulose derivatives as pore directing agent for preparation of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst

Cellulose derivatives such as hydroxyethylmethylcellulose (HEMC), and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), which are originated from biomass, were used as mesoporous directing agent for the synthesis of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite. Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites with outstanding mesoporosity and high hierarchy factors were achieved by hydrothermal method in the presence of bio-mesoporogen. The as-synthesized hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption–desorption (BET), scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the structure of samples. The influences of different mesoporogens with different dosage in the synthetic process on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite were investigated. Possession of the high mesopores, high surface areas and abundant accessible acid sites, the hierarchical zeolites exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the alkylation reaction of benzene and benzyl alcohol.