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Styrene: Ethylbenzene and Steam over a Magnesia-Iron Oxide Catalyst
Charlie

Created by

Charlie

20. October 2026DE
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Styrene: Ethylbenzene and Steam over a Magnesia-Iron Oxide Catalyst

Styrene is ethylbenzene with two hydrogen atoms taken off, the 'S' in ABS. Kearby's process (US 2,395,875, 1946) passes the hydrocarbon with plenty of steam over a catalyst of magnesia with iron oxide and a little potassium and copper oxide at 1100–1300 °F (about 590–700 °C). The steam dilutes the vapour and burns off coke, and the catalyst is regenerated every few hours. The patent's worked figures are for butene; for ethylbenzene it gives these general conditions, which we use. The picture: our diagram.
Advanced
Continuous

Instructions

1

Make the catalyst

Mix magnesia with ferric nitrate solution, adding ammonia to precipitate all the iron as hydroxide. Wash, then mix in copper nitrate and potassium nitrate solutions. Dry, heat to 1000 °F (about 540 °C) and press into pills. Aim for about 72.4 % MgO, 18.4 % Fe2O3, 4.6 % K2O and 4.6 % CuO (amounts as required).

Tools needed:

Magnesium OxideMagnesium Oxide
Ferric NitrateFerric Nitrate
Ammonia Solution - 25-28%Ammonia Solution - 25-28%
Copper NitrateCopper Nitrate
Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter)Potassium Nitrate (saltpeter)
Distilled WaterDistilled Water
Buchner Funnel (Porcelain)Buchner Funnel (Porcelain)
Filter PaperFilter Paper
Drying OvenDrying Oven
Muffle FurnaceMuffle Furnace
Pill PressPill Press
Balance ScaleBalance Scale
Chemical Splash GogglesChemical Splash Goggles
Rubber GlovesRubber Gloves
2

Pass ethylbenzene and steam over it

Fill a tube reactor with the pills and hold it at 1100–1300 °F (about 590–700 °C). Feed ethylbenzene vapour with 4 to 8 volumes of steam per volume, at 100–1000 volumes of hydrocarbon per volume of catalyst an hour.

Materials for this step:

EthylbenzeneEthylbenzene1 piece

Tools needed:

Fixed-Bed Tubular ReactorFixed-Bed Tubular Reactor
Steam BoilerSteam Boiler
Transfer PumpTransfer Pump
Thermocouple with ReadoutThermocouple with Readout
3

Regenerate every few hours

After ½ to 7 hours, shut off the hydrocarbon and pass steam, air or both through the catalyst at 1100–1300 °F to burn off the coke, then resume.

Tools needed:

Steam BoilerSteam Boiler
Fixed-Bed Tubular ReactorFixed-Bed Tubular Reactor
Thermocouple with ReadoutThermocouple with Readout
4

Condense and distil

Ours: condense the product, run off the water layer, and distil the styrene from the unchanged ethylbenzene, which goes back to the reactor (the patent recycles it).

Tools needed:

Condenser CoilCondenser Coil
Separating FunnelSeparating Funnel
Vacuum Distillation ColumnVacuum Distillation Column

Materials

1

Tools Required

21

This blueprint makes

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Styrene

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