CATALYST EVALUATION FOR THE VAPOR-PHASE OXIDATION OF PARA-XYLENE

Catalytic vapor-phase oxidation of p-xylene was studied in an isothermal plug flow reactor using mixed oxides as catalysts, viz., V-Ce-O, V-Fe-O, V-Mg-O, V-Co-O, and V-P-O. Among the catalysts investigated, only V-Fe-O and V-Ce-O exhibit sufficiently high activity with respect to products of oxidation. The activity of the various catalysts is in the following order: V-Fe-O > V-Ce-O > V2O5 > V-P-O > V-Mg-O > V-Co-O. The catalyst V-Ce-O is found to be more selective for p-tolualdehyde than that of the most active catalyst V-Fe-O in the temperature range 325-425-degrees-C.