Alkylation of hydroquinone with tert-butanol over AlSBA-15 mesoporous molecular sieves

A series of AlSBA-15 catalysts with different pore size and different Si/Al ratio were prepared and characterized by N2 adsorption and NH3-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) methods. Their catalytic behaviors for the alkylation of hydroquinone with tert-butanol were studied and compared with that of HZSM-5, HY, HAlMCM-41. It is found that the catalytic activity correlates well with the amount of medium-strong acid sites on the surface of the catalysts, and the selectivity towards 2-tert-Butylhydroquinone has some connection with the pore size of the catalysts. The reusability of the catalyst depends on its hydrothermal stability, which needs to be improved for the AlSBA-15 catalysts.