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Use
of Graphite Nanofibers as a Catalyst for the Synthesis of Styrene--Catalytic
Materials, LTD., 1750 Washington Street, West Holliston Professional Park,
Holliston, MA 01746-2234;
508-893-9561
Dr.
Terry Baker, Principal Investigator, baker@catalyticmaterials.com
Dr.
Nelly Rodriguez, Business Official, rodriguez@catalyticmaterials.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER83381
Amount:
$100,000
Styrene,
one of the ten most important industrial compounds, is produced by catalytic
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. However,
current catalysts undergo deactivation due to coke formation and thermal
degradation. There are also
environmental problems associated with the disposal of catalysts containing
toxic substances such as chromium. Major
benefits could be derived by using environmentally friendly catalysts that
operate efficiently at lower temperatures and are resistant towards
deactivation. Because certain types
of carbon have been found to exhibit significant activity for the oxidative
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene at relatively low temperatures, this
project will exploit the potential of tailored graphite nanofibers (GNF) as
catalysts for this reaction. These
materials possess the ideal blend of reaction sites required to optimize the
catalyst performance, namely a well-defined mixture of basal plane and edge
regions. Phase I will investigate
the behavior of two types of GNF materials: one
where the edge/basal plane ratio is very high, and the other where the reverse
relationship exists. The performance
of these materials will be compared to that of commercial catalyst systems
operated under the same conditions. The
key GNF structural parameters required to achieve optimum catalyst performance
will be determined.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits
as described by the awardee: Production
of styrene is about 14 million tons worldwide, one third of which is generated
in the