Study on the preparation of pseudo-boehmite with large pore structure via carbonization-aluminum sulfate coupling method and its reaction mechanism
摘要
Pseudo-boehmite (PB) is a catalyst carrier material widely used in the petrochemical industry. The pore structure and purity are critical to the performance of the catalyst. In this study, a coupling method was proposed by integrating the traditional NaAlO2–Al2(SO4)3 method with the NaAlO2–CO2 method, in which the carbonization slurry generated from the NaAlO2–CO2 process was recycled as an auxiliary neutralizing agent (ANA). The coupling method can effectively modulate supersaturation and control nucleation and growth, yielding products with high pore volume (1.37 cm3 g−1), large pore size (15.37 nm) and significantly reduced SO42− impurity content (0.47 wt%). Within a broad pH range of 9.3–11.0 for ANA, the product consistently consisted of pure-phase PB even when the ANA contains dawsonite or bayerite. XRD analysis combined with thermodynamic calculations reveals that these impurity phases hydrolyze and convert to PB during aging, demonstrating that the coupling method possesses a broad operating window. This coupling method not only retains the advantages of continuous, efficient and stable production inherent in the NaAlO2–Al2(SO4)3 method but also utilizes CO2 as a raw material, offering a promising solution for synthesizing high-performance PB.