Increased aromatization in the reforming of mixtures of n-hexane, methylcyclopentane and methylcyclohexane over composites of Pt/BaKL zeolite with Pt/β or Pt/USY zeolites Original Research Article

The performance of the individual L, β and USY zeolites supported platinum and of composites of Pt/BaKL with either Pt/β or Pt/USY zeolite is examined for the reforming reactions of n-hexane, methylcyclopentane, or methylcyclohexane and their mixtures. The reactions of different mixtures of the above three hydrocarbons over the composites result in increased selectivities for C≥7 aromatics compared to those calculated as molar averages by multiplying the selectivities corresponding to the individually reacting feed hydrocarbons with their molar fractions in the feed mixture. This behavior is attributed to the synergism caused by the components of the composites in combination with the components of the feed mixture. The balancing of the L zeolite with an acidic zeolite via composites can provide a selective route to C8, C9 aromatics for industrial feeds with large contents of C≥6 paraffins.