A facile approach to improve the quality of diatomite as sulfuric acid catalyst support

• High-energy electron beam (HEEB) irradiation was used to modify diatomite.
• HEEB irradiation could effectively improve the pore size distribution of diatomite.
• Catalytic efficiency of the catalyst based on the treated diatomite increased.
• Etching, Coulomb explosion and thermal effects were the main modification mechanism.

High-energy electron beam (HEEB) irradiation, a facile modification approach, was applied to modify the pore size distribution of diatomite and improve the quality of diatomite as a catalyst support. The results demonstrated that HEEB irradiation modified the pore size distribution of diatomite due to etching, Coulomb explosion and thermal effects. The BET specific surface area, X-ray diffraction and catalytic performance results indicated that pore structure modification improved the micro-properties of diatomite and the catalytic efficiency of catalysts prepared from treated diatomite.

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