Catalytic Behavior of Alkali Treated H-MOR in Selective Synthesis of Ethylenediamine via Condensation Amination of Monoethanolamine

Catalytic behavior of alkali treated mordenite (H-MOR) in selective synthesis of ethylenediamine (EDA) via condensation amination of monoethanolamine (MEA) was investigated. Changes in the structural and acidic properties of alkali treated H-MOR were systematically investigated by N-2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed ammonia desorption (NH3-TPD), pyridine adsorption was followed by infrared spectroscopy (Py-IR), and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses. The results show that alkali treatment produces more opening mesopores on the H-MOR crystal surfaces and leads to an increase in the number of B acid sites and the strength of the acid sites. The mesopores effectively enhance the rate of diffusion in the bulk catalyst. Moreover, the B acid sites are active sites in selective synthesis of EDA. Due to improvements in the diffusion conditions and reactivities, alkali treated H-MOR shows an excellent catalytic performance under mild reaction conditions. The conversion of MEA was 52.8% and selectivity to EDA increased to 93.6%, which is the highest selectivity achieved so far. Furthermore, possible mechanism for the formation of EDA is discussed.