Selective and environmentally friendly production of alkylaromatics over zeolite catalysts

The main processed of alkylaromatic production : isomerization of the C-8 aromatic cut, disproportionation and transalkylation of toluene, alkylation of benzene with ethylene and with propene etc., as well as the mechanisms of the corresponding reactions are described. Acid zeolites have replaced amorphous solid acids and Friedel Crafts catalyts allowing the development of selective and environmentally friendly processes. The choice of the zeolites with large (such as mordenite) or intermediate (such as MFI) pore size, and the modifications which they should undergo in order to be selective depend very much on the desired product, as the characteristics of the pore systems determine to a large part the type of transformations and even the reaction mechanism.