Kinetics of Alkylation of Benzene with Isopropyl Alcohol over Ce-Exchanged NaX Zeolite

Alkylation of benzene was carried out in the vapor phase with isopropyl alcohol as an alkylating agent over cerium-exchanged NaX zeolite. The influences of various process parameters such as temperature, space-time, and the feed ratio of benzene to isopropyl alcohol on benzene conversion and cumene selectivity were studied. The experiments were carried out to choose the zone in which the mass transfer effects were negligible. On the basis of product distribution, a mechanism of the cumene synthesis reaction over the catalyst was proposed along with a rate expression for the limiting reactant. The kinetic and adsorption constants of the rate equations were estimated by best fit. From the estimated kinetic constants, the activation energies and frequency factors for various reactions were determined. The activation energy values compare well with those reported by other investigators for same reactions over similar catalysts.