A computational study of methanol-to-hydrocarbon conversion — Towards the design of a low-barrier process

Computational quantum chemistry has been employed to examine the production of ethylene with methanol-to-hydrocarbon (MTH) processes via a carbon pool mechanism. We find that the M05-2X functional performs well for the types of reactions that are involved. The methylation reactions of the aromatic cocatalyst are the most energy-demanding steps in the process. For the subsequent production of C2H4, we have identified a low-energy pathway that involves multiple methyl shifts, followed by concerted deprotonation and C2H4 elimination. The substitutions of the Al and Si atoms in the participating Si–OH–Al moiety of zeolite catalysts with Ga and Ge do not lead to lower barriers for the methylation reactions, nor does the use of a more electron-rich aromatic cocatalyst. However, we find that the use of two cocatalysts, a nucleophile and an aromatic carbon pool, can provide an overall low-energy pathway for the MTH process.