ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Chrome supported metal ion exchange–zeolite catalyst for cyclohexane selective oxidation

Abdulaziz Sami Bentalib, Fahad Saleh Al-Mubaddel, Abdelhamid M. Ajbar, Seham S. Alterary, Chun-Yang Yin, Yousef M. M. Alanazi, Fehaid Alsubaie, Fares A. AL Sadoon, Abdulrahman Bin Jumah, Maher M. Alrashed, Mohammed Bin Daej, and Mohammednoor Altarawneh

Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

E-mail: falmubaddel@ksu.edu.sa

Received: 10 March 2026  Accepted: 16 May 2026

Abstract:

In the present study, MY catalyst, which was prepared through an ion exchange process using MCl₂ (where M represents Cr) with NaY (zeolite) and a Si/Al ratio of 2.4 was employed in the oxidation of cyclohexane. The catalyst’s characterization was conducted using surface analyzer (N₂ physisorption), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Upon ion exchange with MCl₂, there was no observable variation in the BET surface area and pore diameter of Y zeolite but there was a marginal reduction in pore volume. TGA analysis revealed a weight loss occurring within the range of 50–250 °C which corresponded to the desorption of water and some organic species within the MY channels. The pure crystalline CrY exhibited a cubic shape with irregular sizes ranging from 0.5 to 2 µm. The SEM-EDX metal analysis suggested a nearly constant composition and a homogeneous distribution of the metal throughout the crystal. The leaching test demonstrated no significant leaching during the reaction which implied the catalyst’s stability even at higher temperatures. Under optimal conditions (160 °C and 14 bars of O₂ pressure), the catalyst attained a 5.38% conversion of cyclohexane and a total selectivity of 93.70% for KA-oil. In conclusion, our study exhibits the successful preparation and characterization of the MY catalyst with its favorable stability, structural properties and decent catalytic performance in cyclohexane oxidation under optimized conditions.

Keywords: Chrome; Ion exchange; Leaching; Selective oxidation; Thermogravimetric analysis; Zeolites

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-05074-z

Chemical Papers 80 (9) 11209–11219 (2026)