New process to control hydrolysis step during sol-gel preparation of sulfated zirconia catalysts

Sulfated zirconia catalysts were prepared by sol-gel process using a new method allowing the control of the hydrolysis step of zirconium alkoxides. Prepared samples were characterized by N₂ adsorption (desorption) at 77 K, XRD, chemical analysis of total sulfur and XPS. Catalytic properties have been evaluated in n-butane and n-hexane isomerization reactions. Obtained results show that time necessary for gelation is significant and depends considerably on the nature of the zirconium precursor. Concerning the properties of the solids obtained by this method, it has been noted that the use of the zirconium propoxide led to a better retention of the sulfate species, which improves activity during isomerization reactions. It has been found also that an initial S/Zr molar ratio equal to 0.5 allowed to obtain an optimal sulfur content and a high specific surface area.