DEHYDROGENATION OF ALKYL AROMATIC COMPOUND OVER A RARE EARTH CATALYST

摘要

A process for the dehydrogenation of an alkyl aromatic compound, such as ethylbenzene, to a vinyl aromatic compound, such as styrene, involving dehydrogenating an alkyl aromatic compound with a catalyst containing at least one rare earth element on a catalyst support, essentially free of iron oxide and platinum group metal; or with a mixed oxide catalyst containing at least one rare earth element and at least one other metallic element selected from aluminum, cobalt, chromium, manganese, and mixtures thereof; or with a mixture of such catalysts. Optionally, the dehydrogenation feedstream may contain an alkane, such as ethane, which is simultaneously dehydrogenated to an alkene, such as ethylene. The dehydrogenation process can be integrated into a process of producing a vinyl aromatic compound, such as styrene, from a raw material base comprised of an alkane and an aromatic compound, such as, ethane and benzene.