Preparation of Styrenated Phenol Over SO₄/ZrO₂ Catalyst in a Large-Scale Synthesis Process.

Styrenated phenols (SPs) are usually synthesized by the reaction of styrene and phenol under acid catalysts. SPs with a high content of di-styrenated phenol (DSP) can be used to prepare styrenated phenol alkoxylate (SP-A). Therefore, in this study, a scale-up process for synthesizing SPs with high DSP content which can be used for synthesis of SP-A was studied. The solid catalyst used in this study was prepared by impregnation method. SO₄ was impregnated on a SO₄/ZrO₂ catalyst in an aqueous 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. The prepared catalysts were characterized by NH3-TPD. Catalytic activity was examined by measuring the conversion of phenol and styrene in a liquid-phase batch reactor. Almost 100% conversion of both phenol and styrene over 5-SO₄/ZrO₂ catalyst was obtained at a reaction temperature of 80 °C and a reaction time of 6 h. The amount of catalyst to the reactants was 2 wt%. Under the same reaction conditions, the selectivity of MSP, DSP, and TSP was 12.4%, 64.5%, and 23.1% respectively.