Method of manufacturing styrene

Abstract

A process of manufacturing styrene at atmospheric pressure with high selectivity (in the range of 91% to 96%) to styrene comprising: providing gaseous phenylacetylene; providing gaseous hydrogen; providing a cerium bimetallic catalyst comprising one of Ni-5% NbCe and Ni-10% NbCe; reducing the cerium bimetallic catalyst with hydrogen at 500° C. for about 2 hours; reacting the phenylacetylene with the hydrogen in the presence of the cerium bimetallic catalyst at a temperature of 300° C.; and thereby obtaining an end product comprising a styrene fraction of about 54% to 71% of the end product and a waste fraction. The catalyst is found to be stable for about 5 cycles of manufacturing styrene without losing selectivity to styrene and without reduced conversion rate.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.