Isobutane alkylation using acidic ionic liquid catalysts

Abstract

Alkylation of isobutane with butene (C 4 cut from an industrial alkylation feed) was catalysed by a class of strongly acidic ionic liquids. A dramatic enhancement of the catalytic effect was observed for the ionic liquids containing the SbF 6- anion. The optimal alkylate was obtained using the acidic ionic liquid [HMIm][SbF 6] (47.9 wt.%)/CF 3SO 3H (52.1 wt.%) as the catalyst. The C 8 selectivity was as high as 80% and the research octane number (RON) was 95. These results were better than those obtained by using either neat H 2SO 4 or CF 3SO 3H as the catalyst. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.