Granted Patent B2

US 9,580,328 · App. 13/440,781 · Granted Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Claims (71)

1. A method of forming a material comprising at least one mesoporous zeolite, said method comprising:

(a) subjecting an initial zeolite to a framework modification process thereby producing a framework-modified zeolite, wherein said framework modification process comprises contacting at least a portion of said initial zeolite with an acid; and

(b) forming a plurality of mesopores in at least a portion of said framework-modified zeolite thereby forming said mesoporous zeolite, wherein said forming comprises contacting at least a portion of said framework-modified zeolite with a base;

wherein said forming of step (b) is performed in the substantial absence of a surfactant,

wherein said framework-modified zeolite has not been subjected to drying prior to said forming of step (b),

wherein said initial zeolite is selected from the group consisting of zeolite A, faujasites, mordenite, CHA, ZSM-5, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, beta zeolite, synthetic ferrierite (ZSM-35), synthetic mordenite, and mixtures of two or more thereof,

wherein said initial zeolite has a framework silicon-to-aluminum ratio (“Si/Al”) of less than 30, and

wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a crystalline content that is less than the crystalline content of said initial zeolite as measured by X-ray diffraction (“XRD”).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said initial zeolite has a framework Si/Al of less than 20.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said initial zeolite has a framework Si/Al of less than 10.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said acid has a pH of less than 4 and said acid is a dealuminating acid.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, sulfonic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, glutaric acid, succinic acid, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said acid is present in an initial amount in the range of from about 1 to about 10 milliequivalents per gram (“meq/g”) of initial zeolite.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said contacting is performed for a time period in the range of from about 1 minute to about 4 hours and at a temperature from about room temperature to 200° C.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a framework Si/Al that is at least 1 percent greater than the framework Si/Al of said initial zeolite.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 5 percent less than the crystalline content of said initial zeolite as measured by XRD.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 15 percent less than the crystalline content of said initial zeolite as measured by XRD.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has fewer Si—O—Al bonds in its zeolite framework than said initial zeolite.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a greater number of Si—OH and Al—OH terminal groups than said initial zeolite.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said base is selected from the group consisting of ammonium hydroxide, tetraalkyl ammonium hydroxides, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, amines, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said step (b) increases the crystalline content of said framework-modified zeolite and said mesoporous zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 5 percent greater than said framework-modified zeolite.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 60 percent of the crystalline content of said initial zeolite.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of at least 0.05 cc/g.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 20 percent greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 0.02 cc/g greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said initial zeolite comprises a zeolite Y selected from the group consisting of USY, NH 4 Y, NaY, a rare earth ion zeolite Y, or mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite is subjected to one or more post-formation treatments selected from the group consisting of calcination, ion exchange, steaming, incorporation into an adsorbent, incorporation into a catalyst, re-alumination, silicon incorporation, incorporation into a membrane, and combinations thereof.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said ion exchange is selected from the group consisting of ammonium ion exchange, rare earth ion exchange, lithium ion exchange, potassium ion exchange, calcium ion exchange, and combinations of two or more thereof.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said mesoporous zeolite is a mesostructured zeolite.

23. A method of forming a material comprising at least one desilicated mesoporous zeolite, said method comprising:

(a) contacting an initial zeolite with an acid thereby forming an acid-pretreated zeolite; and

(b) contacting at least a portion of said acid-pretreated zeolite with a base to at least partially desilicate said acid-pretreated zeolite thereby producing said desilicated mesoporous zeolite,

wherein said initial zeolite is selected from the group consisting of zeolite A, faujasites, mordenite, CHA, ZSM-5, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, beta zeolite, synthetic ferrierite (ZSM-35), synthetic mordenite, and mixtures of two or more thereof,

wherein said contacting of step (b) is performed in the substantial absence of a surfactant,

wherein said acid-treated zeolite has not been subjected to drying prior to said contacting of step (b),

wherein said initial zeolite has a framework silicon-to-aluminum ratio (“Si/Al”) of less than 30.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said initial zeolite has a framework Si/Al of less than 10.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising (c) subjecting at least a portion of said desilicated mesoporous zeolite to thermal treatment.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said thermal treatment comprises contacting at least a portion of said desilicated mesoporous zeolite with steam, wherein said steam has a temperature in the range of from about 450 to about 1,000° C.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein said acid-pretreated zeolite has a framework Si/Al that is at least 10 percent greater than the framework Si/Al of said initial zeolite.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein said acid-pretreated zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 10 percent less than the crystalline content of said initial zeolite as measured by XRD.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein said acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, sulfonic acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, glutaric acid, succinic acid, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein said acid is present in an initial amount of at least 2.5 meq/g of initial zeolite.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein said acid is present in an initial amount of at least 4.0 meq/g of initial zeolite.

32. The method of claim 23 wherein said base is selected from the group consisting of ammonium hydroxide, tetraalkyl ammonium hydroxides, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, amines, and mixtures of two or more thereof.

33. The method of claim 23 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 10 percent greater than said acid-pretreated zeolite.

34. The method of claim 23 wherein said mesoporous zeolite has a crystalline content that is at least 80 percent of the crystalline content of said initial zeolite.

35. The method of claim 23 wherein said desilicated mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of at least 0.1 cc/g.

36. The method of claim 23 wherein said desilicated mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 50 percent greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

37. The method of claim 23 wherein said desilicated mesoporous zeolite has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 0.05 cc/g greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

38. The method of claim 23 wherein said initial zeolite comprises a zeolite Y selected from the group consisting of USY, NH 4 Y, NaY, a rare earth ion zeolite Y, or mixtures thereof.

39. The method of claim 23 wherein said desilicated mesoporous zeolite is a mesostructured zeolite.

40. A method of forming a mesoporous material, said method comprising

(a) subjecting an initial zeolite to a framework modification process thereby producing a framework-modified zeolite, wherein said framework modification process comprises contacting at least a portion of said initial zeolite with an acid; and

(b) forming a plurality of mesopores in at least a portion of said framework-modified zeolite thereby forming said mesoporous material, wherein said forming comprises contacting at least a portion of said framework-modified zeolite with a base;

wherein said forming of step (b) is performed in the substantial absence of a surfactant,

wherein said framework-modified zeolite has not been subjected to drying prior to said forming of step (b),

wherein said initial zeolite is selected from the group consisting of zeolite A, faujasites, mordenite, CHA, ZSM-5, ZSM-12, ZSM-22, beta zeolite, synthetic ferrierite (ZSM-35), synthetic mordenite, and mixtures of two or more thereof,

wherein said initial zeolite has a framework silicon-to-aluminum ratio (“Si/Al”) of less than 30, and

wherein said mesoporous material has a crystalline content that is at least 90 percent less than the crystalline content of said initial zeolite as measured by X-ray diffraction (“XRD”).

41. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material has substantially no crystalline content as measured by XRD.

42. The method of claim 40 wherein said initial zeolite has a framework Si/Al of less than 10.

43. The method of claim 40 wherein said framework-modified zeolite has a framework Si/Al that is at least 20 percent greater than the framework Si/Al of said initial zeolite.

44. The method of claim 40 wherein said acid is present in an initial amount of at least 2.0 meq/g of initial zeolite.

45. The method of claim 40 wherein said acid is present in an initial amount of at least 3.5 meq/g of initial zeolite.

46. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of at least 0.1 cc/g.

47. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 40 percent greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

48. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material has a total 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume that is at least 0.1 cc/g greater than the 20 to 80 Å diameter mesopore volume of said initial zeolite.

49. The method of claim 40 wherein said initial zeolite comprises a zeolite Y selected from the group consisting of USY, NH 4 Y, NaY, a rare earth ion zeolite Y, or mixtures thereof.

50. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material is subjected to one or more post-formation treatments selected from the group consisting of calcination, ion exchange, steaming, incorporation into an adsorbent, incorporation into a catalyst, re-alumination, silicon incorporation, incorporation into a membrane, and combinations thereof.

51. The method of claim 40 wherein said mesoporous material is a mesostructured material.

Assignments (10)