(585ba) Alkylation of Isobutane and Butene Using Mixed Acid As Catalyst

Improving isobutane solubility in H2SO4 is an effective method to enhance alkylation of isobutane and butene so as to improve the oil product quality. This research focused on alkylation of isobutane and butene with mixed acid includes sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). With the mixing of TFA in H2SO4, selectivity of C8 was obviously improved due to the improved solubility of isobutane in H2SO4 and the decreased acidity. Different mixing amounts of TFA were studied, showing that 20 wt% is optimal and selectivity of alkane C8 could be improved from nearly 36.8% to 75.6% under given conditions. And the effects of stirring speed, reaction temperature, acid to hydrocarbon volume ratio (H/C), isobutane to butene molar ratio (I/O) and reaction time were also studied carefully and respectively. The mixed acid is potential to be applied in large scale industrial processes to improve the quality of alkylation.