Deactivation of Zeolite Catalysts in the Prins Reaction between Propene and Formaldehyde in the Liquid Phase

The Prins reaction between propene and formaldehyde was studied over H-BEA, H-FAU, H-MFI and H-MOR zeolites at 150 °C in liquid phase. It was found that the H-BEA sample is the most active and selective toward buta-1,3-diene; the H-MFI is a potential catalyst for 3-buten-1-ol synthesis, while H-FAU can be used for 4-methyl-1,3-dioxane production. It had been confirmed that zeolite textural and acidic properties influence catalyst behaviour: the acidic properties influence sample activity, while product distribution is controlled by pore volume and effective pore diameter. The sample’s deactivation process had been studied and the kinetic model of deactivation was proposed. It was shown that the deactivation rate for the H-MFI catalyst is four times greater than for the H-BEA catalyst, probably because its strong/weak acid sites ratio is much more high than for the H-BEA.