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Is it necessary to soak the catalyst in methanol when an MTBE reactor is shut down for a long time?
Strongly acidic cation exchange resins are generally used as MTBE catalysts. The active site of cation exchange resins is the sulfonic acid group, which can selectively react isobutylene and methanol to produce MTBE. Factors such as water, alkaline conditions, metal ions, and sulfides can all cause catalyst deactivation. Soaking in methanol is done to ensure that the catalytic resin is fully wetted, thereby minimizing the risk of pore blockage.