The Benzylation of p-Xylene Using ZnFe2O4 Nanoparticles as Heterogeneous Catalyst

Abstract

In this paper, ZnFe2O4 nanomaterial synthesized in different solvents by hydrothermal method was used as catalyst for the benzylation of p-xylene. ZnFe2O4 catalyst was characterized by XRD, EDX, SEM and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. The influence of various parameters in the benzylation of p-xylene such as the Fe content of the prepared materials, the ratio molar of p-xylene/benzyl chloride, the catalyst dosage, and the temperature was investigated. The relationship between adsorption kinetics and reaction kinetics of p-xylene benzylation over ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles was discussed. The results indicated that ZnFe2O4 catalyst synthesized in ethylene glycol (ZFO-EG) showed high conversation for the benzylation of p-xylene. The reusability of the ZFO-EG catalyst was also investigated.