The invention discloses a technique for producing 
styrene by alkylating 
toluene and 
methanol side chains. The method comprises the steps of mixing and heating 
methanol vapor and air to obtain a mixture, enabling the mixture to enter a reactor producing 
formaldehyde by using 
methanol, and generating 
formaldehyde under the action of a catalyst; condensing a product, enabling the condensed product to enter a rectifying 
tower so as to remove water generated in the reaction, pressurizing a product at the 
tower top, enabling the pressurized product to enter a high-pressure separator, discharging noncondensable gas containing 
hydrogen from the top of the high-pressure separator, mixing and heating and a product at the bottom and 
toluene, enabling the mixture to enter a 
side chain alkylation reactor, enabling a gaseous product to return to therectifying 
tower after a product obtained in the reaction is subjected to separation by a gas-liquid separator, enabling a 
liquid product to enter a 
toluene tower, an 
ethylbenzene tower and a 
styrene tower sequentially, enabling toluene to return to the 
side chain alkylation reactor, and discharging 
ethylbenzene, 
styrene and C9<+>heavy aromatics. The technique is of a two-
step method for toluene and methanol 
side chain alkylation, not only can the generation degree of a 
side reaction between styrene and 
hydrogen be effectively inhibited, but also the hydrothermal deactivation of the catalyst for side chain alkylation can be alleviated.