Abstract: By screening template agents and optimizing synthesis conditions, high silica-alumina ratio ferrierite with regular and wide sheet-like morphology were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis under the optimal template agent to SiO2 mass ratio, crystallization temperature, alkalinity, and crystallization time. The RBIW-400 n-butene skeletal isomerization catalyst was developed using aluminum hydroxide powder as a binder and successfully applied in a 600 kt/a ether post C4 isomerization unit of a certain factory in 2019. The industrial application results show that the catalyst has excellent activity in the skeleton isomerization reaction of n-butene, selectivity of target products, and long-term stability, reaching the international advanced level. The conversion rate of n-butene can reach 42.40%, and the selectivity of isobutene can reach 95.62%. In the context of surplus light hydrocarbon resources and shortage of high-value chemicals in the future, this technology will have broad market application prospects.

Key words: ferrierite, isomerization, n-butene, isobutene, binder, template agent, crystallization