Metal-modified H-ZSM-5 has a high selectivity of aromatics in methanol to aromatics (MTA) reaction, which is often attributed to the metal promoting the aromatization of intermediate olefins. However, the effect of methanol dehydrogenationon aromatics formation over these catalysts is rarely studied.

Recently, a research group led by Prof. Liu Zhongmin from Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported HCHO, formed by methanol dehydrogenation over Zn/H-ZSM-5 prepared by Zn impregnationofH-ZSM-5, can participate in the synthesis of aromatics.Methanol conversion can produce more aromatics than olefins (propyleneorethylene) conversion over Zn/H-ZSM-5, indicating the conventional MTA pathway including methanol-to-olefins and olefins-to-aromatics is not complete. Moreover, anMTA mechanism including the conventional pathway and the methanol and HCHO coupling pathway is systematically proposed.

This work was published inJournal of Energy Chemistryon 21 May.

This work was supported from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21978285, 21991093，21991090). (Text by Ni Youming)

Formaldehyde intermediate participating in the conversion of methanol to aromatics over zinc modified H-ZSM-5. Youming Ni , Wenliang Zhu* , Zhongmin Liu*, Journal of Energy Chemistry, 54:174-178, 2021.