Catalytic properties of benzene hydroxylation by TS-1 film reactor and Pd–TS-1 composite membrane reactor

Titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) and mesoporous TS-1p were incorporated as catalyst for the direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol in a palladium membrane reactor. The zeolite also served as intermediate support layer and diffusion barrier against contaminants. Pd–TS-1 and Pd–TS-1p were characterized and tested for hydrogen permeation before investigating their performance for the benzene direct hydroxylation reaction. The effects of reactor configuration, reaction conditions and catalysts on conversion, product yield and water production were examined. The phenol yield of Pd–TS-1p was the highest followed by Pd–Sil-1 and Pd–TS-1 with Pd–TS-1p and Pd–TS-1 having phenol selectivity higher than 95%. The optimum reactor configuration and H2/O2 molar feed ratio were identified.