Process for the production of phenylalkanes that use a zeolitic catalyst that is based on silica-alumina

A catalytic process for the production of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-phenylalkanes, said process comprising alkylation of an aromatic compound with a feedstock containing at least one olefin having at least 9 carbon atoms per molecule, wherein the process is conducted in the presence of a catalyst that comprises at least one substrate comprising an intimate mixture of (A) at least one zeolite or a mixture of zeolites and (B) a non-zeolitic silica-alumina matrix, said matrix containing an amount of more than 5% by weight and less than or equal to 95% by weight of silica (SiO2), said catalyst exhibiting the following characteristics:

• a mean pore diameter, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed between 20 and 140 Å,
• a total pore volume, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed between 0.1 ml/g and 0.6 ml/g,
• a total pore volume, measured by nitrogen porosimetry, encompassed between 0.1 ml/g and 0.6 ml/g,
• a BET specific surface area encompassed between 100 and 850 m2/g,
• a packing density after calcination of more than 0.65 g/cm3,
• a pore volume, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than 140 Å, of less than 0.1 ml/g,
• a pore volume, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than 160 Å, of less than 0.1 ml/g,
• a pore volume, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than 200 Å, of less than 0.1 ml/g,
• a pore volume, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than 500 Å, of less than 0.1 ml/g,
• an X-ray diffraction diagram that contains at least the main lines that are characteristic of at least one of the transition aluminas contained in the group of alpha-, rho-, chi-, eta-, gamma-, kappa-, theta- and delta-aluminas,
• a pore distribution such that the ratio between volume V2, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed between Dmean−30 Å and Dmean+30 Å, to the total mercury volume is more than 0.6, such that volume V3, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than Dmean+30 Å, is less than 0.1 ml/g, and such that volume V6, measured by mercury porosimetry, encompassed in the pores with diameters of more than Dmean+15 Å, is less than 0.2 ml/g, and
• wherein said process is conducted at a temperature of between 30 and 400° C., a pressure of between 0.1 and 10 MPa, an hourly volumetric flow rate of 0.05 to 200 h−1, and an aromatic compound/olefin molar ratio of between 1:1 and 50:1.