Abstract:
The direct oxidation of toluene to cresols with nitrous oxide as the oxidant was carried out over a ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst under gaseous and supercritical conditions (395 °C and 0.5, 7, 12 MPa; 420 °C and 15 MPa). The supercritical oxidation is characterized by a significantly greater productivity as compared to the gas-phase process. Successful in situ regeneration of the deactivated catalyst during the transition from the gas-phase to the supercritical process has been demonstrated.
Keywords:toluene, oxidation, nitrous oxide, supercritical conditions, ZSM-5 zeolite, in situ regeneration of catalyst, cresols.