Cu-SSZ-13 molecular sieve catalyst for methanol-to-olefins

A Cu-SSZ-13 molecular sieve catalyst was prepared with a complex of copper sulphate and tetraethylene pentamine as the template and characterized by means of XRF, XRD, SEM, BET and FTIR. The performance of the catalyst in methanol-to-olefins (MTO) was evaluated and its deactivation was investigated. The characterization results showed that the catalyst was Cu-SSZ-13 molecular sieve with crystal size of 0.4-5.0 μm and silica-alumina ratio of 3.7. The reaction results indicated that the Cu-SSZ-13 molecular sieve had high activity for MTO, the methanol was converted completely, and the highest selectivity to both ethylene and propylene reached 87.3% in the reaction beginning 60 min. The activity of the reactivated Cu-SSZ-13 molecular sieve catalyst was almost same as the fresh one after reactivation 10 times. The FTIR result revealed that the deactivation of the catalyst was due to carbon deposition.