Catalytic conversion of low-density polyethylene using a continuous screw kiln reactor

Both thermal and catalytic cracking of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) have been investigated using a screw kiln reactor. Thermal degradation gives rise to a broad product distribution, whereas catalytic cracking over Al-MCM-41 leads mainly to hydrocarbons within the gasoline range (C₅–C₁₂) with selectivities up to 80%. The increase of the screw speed between 3 and 15 rpm in the catalytic experiments allows the plastic feed rate to be varied in the range 20–41 g h⁻¹. The changes observed in the TOF values when varying the screw speed point out a decrease of the activity per site with increasing residence times, which may be due to the catalyst deactivation or to a contribution of the degradative extrusion at higher screw speeds. Likewise, a certain increase in the selectivity towards the gasoline fraction is observed at short residence times. On the other hand, PIONA analyses indicate that, regardless of the screw speed, the main components of the gasoline are olefins (50%) and isoparaffins (20%), whereas the aromatic content is always below 6%, with a proportion of benzene lower than 0.1%.     

Oligomerization pathways of dichlorodifluoromethane hydrodechlorination catalyzed by activated carbon supported Pt-Cu, Pt-Ag, Pt-Fe, and Pt-Co

Activated carbon-supported Pt-Cu, Pt-Ag, Pt-Co, Pt-Fe, and Pt catalyze the formation of oligomerization products from CF₂Cl₂ and H₂ mixture (1:1 ratio) at 523 K. All catalysts deactivate with time on stream. The Pt-Co/C catalyst exhibits the highest selectivity toward C₂–C₃ hydrocarbons (50%), whereas Pt-Cu/C is the most selective toward tetrafluoroethylene (20%). The other catalysts (Pt, Pt-Ag, Pt-Fe) exhibit negligible oligomerization activity, CH₄ and partially halogenated C₁ molecules are the main products. The performance of each catalyst is understood in terms of the difference in the stability of bimetallic particles toward segregation under dechlorination conditions.     

Deactivated iron catalyst in the fischer-tropsch synthesis

The selectivity for higher hydrocarbons (C₁₁–C₁₇) has been studied in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using fresh and used fused iron catalysts under different reaction conditions. On increasing the temperature higher hydrocarbon products were formed in the C₁₁–C₁₇ range. The deactivated fused iron catalyst is less active but selective to heavier hydrocarbon chain molecules. The product distribution is shifted towards heavier hydrocarbons due to the effects of the pore volume, presence of potassium and site densities at the surface.     

Catalytic conversion of commingled polymer waste into chemicals and fuels over spent FCC commercial catalyst in a fluidised-bed reactor

A commingled post-consumer polymer (CPW#1) was pyrolysed over spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) commercial catalyst (ECat-1) using a laboratory fluidised-bed reactor operating isothermally at ambient pressure. The influence of reaction conditions including catalyst, temperature, ratios of commingled polymer to catalyst feed and flow rates of fluidising gas was examined. The conversion for spent FCC commercial catalyst (82.7 wt%) gave much higher yield than silicate (only 14.2 wt%) and the highest yield (nearly 87 wt%) was obtained for ZSM-5. Greater product selectivity was observed with ECat-1 as a recycled catalyst with about 56 wt% olefins products in the C₃–C₇ range. The selectivity could be further influenced by changes in reaction conditions. Valuable hydrocarbons of olefins and iso-olefins were produced by low temperatures and short contact times used in this study. It is also demonstrated that the use of spent FCC commercial catalyst and under appropriate reaction conditions can have the ability to control both the product yield and product distribution from polymer degradation, potentially leading to a cheaper process with more valuable products.     

Novel utilization of mesoporous molecular sieves as supports of cobalt catalysts in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis

Mesoporous molecular sieves (MCM-41 and SBA-15) with different pore diameters have been studied as supports of high loading of Co catalysts, and the performances in FT synthesis have been examined with a fixed bed stainless steel reactor at 2.0 MPa for the purpose of efficient production of C₁₀–C₂₀ fraction as the main component of diesel fuel. The method of exchanging template ions in uncalcined MCM-41 with Co²⁺ ions is effective for holding 10–20% Co within the mesopores while keeping the structure regularity of MCM-41 to some extent, compared with the conventional impregnation method using calcined MCM-41. At 523 K, CO conversion and selectivity to C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons are both higher at larger loading of 20% Co for the exchanged catalysts with pore diameters of 2.7–2.9 nm. When four kinds of 20% Co/SBA-15 with the diameters of 3.5–13 nm, prepared by the impregnation method using an ethanol solution of Co acetate, are used in FT synthesis at 523 K, the catalyst with the diameter of 8.3 nm shows the largest CO conversion, which is higher than those over MCM-41 supported Co catalysts. At a lower temperature of 503 K, however, the acetate-derived Co is almost inactive. In contrast, the use of Co nitrate alone or an equimolar mixture of the acetate and nitrate as Co precursor drastically enhances the reaction rate and consequently provides high space–time yield (260–270 g C/kg_cat h) of C₁₀–C₂₀ hydrocarbons. The X-ray diffraction and temperature-programmed reduction measurements show that the dependency of the catalytic performance of 20% Co/SBA-15 on its precursor originates probably from the differences in not only the reducibility of the calcined catalyst but also the dispersion of metallic Co. Catalyst characterization after FT synthesis strongly suggests the high stability of the most effective Co/SBA-15 in the dispersion and reducibility of the oxide species and in the mesoporous structure.     

Conversion of naphthenes to a high value steamcracker feedstock using H-ZSM-5 based catalysts in the second step of the ARINO-process

Future regulations for the limitation of sulfur and aromatics in fuels driven by the European Auto Oil Program (AOP II) stimulate the need for an alternative utilization of the resulting surplus of pyrolysis gasoline (pygas). The conversion of heavy pyrolysis gasoline into valuable steam cracker feedstock with a maximum yield of C₂–C₄ n-alkanes is achieved via the ARINO^® two-step process, jointly developed by Linde, VEBA Oil and Süd-Chemie. The first step involves a hydrogenation of aromatics to naphthenes followed by the subsequent ring opening and cracking in the second step.

Süd-Chemie developed a new commercial cracking catalyst for the second step of the ARINO^® process with the aim to maximize the yield of C₂–C₄ n-alkanes at low formation of methane and aromatics. The ring opening and cracking reaction of naphthenes was studied in a bench scale tubular reactor over extruded H-ZSM-5 based zeolite catalysts.

In a series of screening tests using a commercial, hydrogenated and desulphurized heavy pyrolysis gasoline, the influence of the preparation parameters such as zeolite acidity, palladium content as well as the type of binder were investigated. Furthermore, the influence of the process conditions space velocity and temperature was studied.

High yields of C₂–C₄ n-alkanes at low formation of undesired methane and aromatics were achieved over an alumina bound zeolite with medium Brønsted acidity loaded with palladium.

The reduction of the space velocity resulted in an increase in the C₂–C₄ n-alkane yield and lower formation of aromatics, but a simultaneous increase in the methane make. Raising the temperature from 280 to 370 °C significantly increased the catalyst activity.     

Conversion of waste plastics into fuels: Recycling polyethylene in FCC

Low density polyethylene was dissolved into toluene and converted at 500 °C over three different commercial FCC catalysts in a laboratory Riser Simulator reactor. Short reaction-times up to 12 s were used. All the catalysts had qualitatively similar behaviors. The specific contribution of the polymer to the product slate of FCC was centered in hydrocarbons in the range of gasoline, with high aromatic content and highly olefinic C₃–C₄ gases. Saturated C₄–C₅ products were mainly isoparaffins. The additional coke formed by the polymer would make coke yields to increase moderately in relation to the standard operation. These facts confirmed that this recycling option, which is based on a proven technology, represents an interesting alternative to solve a major environmental problem.     

The simultaneous activation of methane and carbon dioxide to C2 hydrocarbons under pulse corona plasma over La2O3/γ-Al2O3 catalyst

The pulse corona plasma has been used as an activation method for reaction of methane and carbon dioxide, the product was C₂ hydrocarbons and by-products were CO and H₂. Methane conversion and the yield of C₂ hydrocarbons were affected by the carbon dioxide concentration in the feed. The conversion of methane increased with increasing carbon dioxide concentration in the feed whereas the yield of C₂ hydrocarbons decreased. The synergism of La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ and plasma gave methane conversion of 24.9% and C₂ hydrocarbons yield of 18.1% were obtained at the power input of plasma was 30 W. The distribution of C₂ hydrocarbons changed by using Pd-La₂O₃/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, the major C₂ product was ethylene.     

Catalytic degradation of polyethylene over SAPO-37 molecular sieve

The degradation of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was studied alone and in presence of silicoaluminophosphate type silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO-37) as catalyst. This material was synthesized by the hydrothermal method using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and tetramethylammonium chloride as organic templates. The characterization by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and scanning electron microscopy showed that typical faujasite structure for the SAPO-37 was obtained. The total acidity, determined by n-butylamine adsorption, it was equivalent to 0.558 mmol g⁻¹, corresponding to moderate acid strength. For catalytic reaction, a physical mixture of 25%SAPO-37/HDPE was decomposed in a thermobalance at heating rates of 5, 10 and 20 °C min⁻¹, from 380 to 520 °C. At the maximum degradation rate, the products were collected in a cold trap and analyzed by a coupled gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. The degradation of HDPE without catalyst was carried out at the same conditions for comparison with the obtained data with SAPO-37. The HDPE alone suffers decomposition to a wide range of hydrocarbons (C₅–C₂₅) while in the presence of catalyst, light hydrocarbons (C₂–C₁₂) were obtained. By the application of the Vyazovkin model-free kinetic method, it was observed that the activation energy decreased from 290 kJ mol⁻¹ for HDPE alone, to 220 kJ mol⁻¹ for 25%SAPO-37/HDPE, evidencing that SAPO-37 is an effective catalyst for polyethylene degradation.     

Methane conversion to C2 hydrocarbons and hydrogen in atmospheric non-thermal plasmas generated by different electric discharge techniques

Methane conversion to C₂ hydrocarbons and hydrogen has been investigated in a needle-to-plate reactor by pulsed streamer and pulsed spark discharges and in a wire-to-cylinder dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor by pulsed DC DBD and AC DBD at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. In the former two electric discharge processes, acetylene is the dominating C₂ products. Pulsed spark discharges gives the highest acetylene yield (54%) and H₂ yield (51%) with 69% of methane conversion in a pure methane system and at 10 SCCM of flow rate and 12 W of discharge power. In the two DBD processes, ethane is the major C₂ products and pulsed DC DBD provides the highest ethane yield. Of the four electric discharge techniques, ethylene yield is less than 2%. Energy costs for methane conversion, acetylene or ethane (for DBD processes) formation, and H₂ formation increase with methane conversion percentage, and were found to be: in pulsed spark discharges (methane conversion 18–69%), 14–25, 35–65 and 10–17 eV/molecule; in pulsed streamer discharges (methane conversion 19–41%), 17–21, 38–59, and 12–19 eV/molecule; in pulsed DBD (methane conversion 6–13%), 38–57, 137–227 and 47–75 eV/molecule; in AC DBD (methane conversion 5–8%), 116–175, 446–637, and 151–205 eV/molecule, respectively. The immersion of the γ-Al₂O₃ pellets in the pulsed streamer discharges, or in the pulsed DC DBD, or in the AC DBD has a positive effect on increasing methane conversion and C₂ yield.     

CO, H2 or C3H8 assisted catalytic combustion of methane over supported LaMnO3 monoliths

The effect of the addition of a second fuel such as CO, C₃H₈ or H₂ on the catalytic combustion of methane was investigated over ceramic monoliths coated with LaMnO₃/La-γAl₂O₃ catalyst. Results of autothermal ignition of different binary fuel mixtures characterised by the same overall heating value show that the presence of a more reactive compound reduces the minimum pre-heating temperature necessary to burn methane. The effect is more pronounced for the addition of CO and very similar for C₃H₈ and H₂. Order of reactivity of the different fuels established in isothermal activity measurements was: CO>H₂≥C₃H₈>CH₄. Under autothermal conditions, nearly complete methane conversion is obtained with catalyst temperatures around 800 °C mainly through heterogeneous reactions, with about 60–70 ppm of unburned CH₄ when pure methane or CO/CH₄ mixtures are used. For H₂/CH₄ and C₃H₈/CH₄ mixtures, emissions of unburned methane are lower, probably due to the proceeding of CH₄ homogeneous oxidation promoted by H and OH radicals generated by propane and hydrogen pyrolysis at such relatively high temperatures.

Finally, a steady state multiplicity is found by decreasing the pre-heating temperature from the ignited state. This occurrence can be successfully employed to pilot the catalytic ignition of methane at temperatures close to compressor discharge or easily achieved in regenerative burners.     

Methanol formation from methane partial oxidation in CH4–O2–NO gaseous phase at atmospheric pressure

The reaction condition for high yield of methanol in a gaseous reaction between methane and oxygen in the presence of NO at atmospheric pressure was explored. Methane partial oxidation without NO (CH₄–O₂) gave only 1% conversion of methane at 966 K. The addition of NO led to a remarkable increase in methane conversion and to high selectivity to C₁-oxygenates. The conversion of methane attained 10% at 808 K in the presence of NO (0.5%) where the selectivities to methanol and formaldehyde were 22.1 and 24.1%, respectively. Nitromethane and carbon oxides were also observed in the product gas. The amount of nitromethane was almost equal and/or near to that of initial NO. The carbon monoxide produced was several times higher than carbon dioxide. Influences of NO concentration, ratio of methane to oxygen, water vapor, and dilution with helium gas on product distribution were measured. Low concentration of NO (0.35–0.55%) was favorable for methanol formation. High selectivity to methanol was obtained at low value of the ratio of methane to oxygen (2.0–3.0) or low concentration of dilution gas (<16%). The NO₂ added promoted methane partial oxidation and selectivity to methanol. Therefore, it was assured that NO_x promoted the formation of CH₃√ and CH₃O√ in the gas phase reaction for CH₄–O₂–NO.     

The selective oxidation of methane to ethane and ethylene in a solid oxide electrolyte reactor

A study of the selective oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) to C₂ hydrocarbons (ethane and ethylene) in a solid-state electrochemical reactor made from yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has been made. Three different catalyst–electrode systems based on silver and two trimetallic formulations of Mn modified alkali (Na and K) tungstates supported on silica were used. A comparison is made between co-fed and electrochemically-supplied oxygen. The electrochemically-supplied oxygen gave higher overall C₂ selectivities than the co-fed method under low current conditions, which was attributed to differences in local methane to oxygen ratios at the catalyst surface. The potassium tungstate supported catalyst gave the best overall C₂ selectivity (86% at 4% C₂ yield).     

Single-event microkinetics for coke formation during the catalytic cracking of (cyclo)alkane/1-octene mixtures

A single-event microkinetic model (SEMK) is applied to model initial coking rates during the catalytic cracking of (cyclo)alkane/1-octene mixtures at 693–753 K and (cyclo)alkane and 1-octene inlet partial pressures of 26.6 and 4.8 kPa on a REUSY equilibrium catalyst. Three types of irreversible alkylations involving both gas phase and surface coke precursors, viz., alkylation of phenyl substituted carbenium ions with C₃–C₅ alkenes, alkylation of the nucleus of monoaromatics with C₃–C₅ alkylcarbenium ions, and alkylation of C₈–C₁₀ alkylcarbenium ions with C₃–C₅ alkenes, have been considered as rate-determining steps in coke formation. The bulky alkylated species formed out of these alkylations are considered as coke. The activation energies for these alkylations obtained via non-isothermal regression are independent of the feedstock within the parameters confidence limits reflecting the fundamental character of the SEMK. The negative effect of temperature on the experimentally observed coking rates is qualitatively described and is explained in terms of an overcompensation of the increase of the rate coefficient by a lower surface coke precursor concentration.     

CO hydrogenation over a rhodium vanadate catalyst: Reduction and regeneration of RhVO4 on SiO2

The hydrogenation of CO over an Rh vanadate (RhVO₄) catalyst supported on SiO₂ (RhVO₄/SiO₂) has been investigated after H₂ reduction at 500°C, and the results are compared with those of vanadia-promoted (V₂O₅–Rh/SiO₂) and unpromoted Rh/SiO₂ catalysts. The mean size of Rh particles, which were dispersed by the decomposition of RhVO₄ after the H₂ reduction, was smaller (41 Å) than those (91–101 Å) of V₂O₅–Rh/SiO₂ and Rh/SiO₂ catalysts. The RhVO₄/SiO₂ catalyst showed higher activity and selectivity to C₂ oxygenates than the unpromoted Rh/SiO₂ catalyst after the H₂ pretreatment. The CO conversion of the RhVO₄/SiO₂ catalyst was much higher than that of V₂O₅–Rh/SiO₂ catalyst, and the yield of C₂ oxygenates increased. We also found that the RhVO₄/SiO₂ catalyst can be regenerated by calcination or O₂ treatment at high temperature after the reaction.     

Low-temperature H2-SCR of NO on a novel Pt/MgO-CeO2 catalyst

The selective catalytic reduction of NO by H₂ under strongly oxidizing conditions (H₂-SCR) in the low-temperature range of 100–200 °C has been studied over Pt supported on a series of metal oxides (e.g., La₂O₃, MgO, Y₂O₃, CaO, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂ and MgO-CeO₂). The Pt/MgO and Pt/CeO₂ solids showed the best catalytic behavior with respect to N₂ yield and the widest temperature window of operation compared with the other single metal oxide-supported Pt solids. An optimum 50 wt% MgO-50wt% CeO₂ support composition and 0.3 wt% Pt loading (in the 0.1–2.0 wt% range) were found in terms of specific reaction rate of N₂ production (mols N₂/g_cat s). High NO conversions (70–95%) and N₂ selectivities (80–85%) were also obtained in the 100–200 °C range at a GHSV of 80,000 h⁻¹ with the lowest 0.1 wt% Pt loading and using a feed stream of 0.25 vol% NO, 1 vol% H₂, 5 vol% O₂ and He as balance gas. Addition of 5 vol% H₂O in the latter feed stream had a positive influence on the catalytic performance and practically no effect on the stability of the 0.1 wt% Pt/MgO-CeO₂ during 24 h on reaction stream. Moreover, the latter catalytic system exhibited a high stability in the presence of 25–40 ppm SO₂ in the feed stream following a given support pretreatment. N₂ selectivity values in the 80–85% range were obtained over the 0.1 wt% Pt/MgO-CeO₂ catalyst in the 100–200 °C range in the presence of water and SO₂ in the feed stream. The above-mentioned results led to the obtainment of patents for the commercial exploitation of Pt/MgO-CeO₂ catalyst towards a new NO_x control technology in the low-temperature range of 100–200 °C using H₂ as reducing agent. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of NO, and transient titration of the adsorbed surface intermediate NO_x species with H₂ experiments, following reaction, have revealed important information towards the understanding of basic mechanistic issues of the present catalytic system (e.g., surface coverage, number and location of active NO_x intermediate species, NO_x spillover).     

Gold catalysts supported on mesoporous titania for low-temperature water–gas shift reaction

Mesoporous titania with high surface area and uniform pore size distribution was synthesized using surfactant templating method through a neutral [C₁₃(EO)₆–Ti(OC₃H₇)₄] assembly pathway. The different gold content (1–5 wt.%) was supported on the mesoporous titania by deposition–precipitation (DP) method. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, TEM, SEM, N₂ adsorption analysis and TPR. The catalytic activity of gold supported mesoporous titania was evaluated for the first time in water–gas shift reaction (WGSR). The influence of gold content and particle size on the catalytic performance was investigated. The catalytic activity was tested at a wide temperature range (140–300 °C) and at different space velocities and H₂O/CO ratios. It is clearly revealed that the mesoporous titania is of much interest as potential support for gold-based catalyst. The gold/mesoporous titania catalytic system is found to be effective catalyst for WGSR.     

Partial oxidation of alkanes to oxygenates in supercritical carbon dioxide

The catalytic partial oxidation of propane in supercritical carbon dioxide has been investigated in a stirred batch reactor. Various metals (oxides) have been used as supported catalysts with respect to their activity and selectivity for the formation of oxygenates. The reactions run with a 1:2.3–2.9:68–108 molar ratio of propane:synthetic air:CO₂ at 453–573 K and 80–100 bar. Using a precipitated 2.4 wt.% Co₃O₄–SiO₂ catalyst at 573 K, a total oxygenate (i.e. acetic acid, acetone, acetaldehyde, methanol) selectivity of 59% and a propene selectivity of 21% were obtained at a propane conversion of 12 mol%. The same catalyst has been used to investigate the influence of the supercritical conditions and initial feed composition on the reaction, varying the density of CO₂ and the concentration of synthetic air, respectively.     

Supercritical phase process for direct synthesis of middle iso-paraffins from modified Fischer–Tropsch reaction

A new concept on the direct synthesis of middle iso-paraffins through the modified supercritical Fischer–Tropsch (FT) reaction was proposed and experimentally demonstrated with the combination of Co/SiO₂ and palladium-supported β zeolite (Pd/β) catalysts both in one-stage and two-stage fixed-bed reaction systems. Depending on the reaction conditions, the selectivity of C₄⁺ iso-paraffins mostly in gasoline range was 60–80% due to hydrocracking and hydro-isomerization function of Pd/β. Irrespective of reaction conditions, the hydrocarbons produced from FT reaction were preferentially hydro-converted over Pd/β catalyst while the supercritical solvent of n-hexane could only be slightly hydro-converted under severe conditions. The production of iso-paraffin in two-stage process was tested for 100 h without observable deactivation by feeding additional hydrogen in lower reactor, which is ascribed to the inhibition of coke deposition over Pd/β as revealed from TG analysis of the used catalysts.     

Cu-ZSM-5 zeolite highly active in reduction of NO with decane under water vapor presence: Comparison of decane, propane and propene by in situ FTIR

Selective catalytic reduction of NO_x (SCR-NO_x) with decane, and for comparison with propane and propene over Cu-ZSM-5 zeolite (Cu/Al 0.49, Si/Al 13.2) was investigated under presence and absence of water vapor. Decane behaves in SCR-NO_x like propene, i.e. the Cu-zeolite activity increased under increasing concentration of water vapor, as demonstrated by a shift of the NO_x–N₂ conversion to lower temperatures, in contrast to propane, where the NO_x–N₂ conversion is highly suppressed. In situ FTIR spectra of sorbed intermediates revealed similar spectral features for C₁₀H₂₂– and C₃H₆–SCR-NO_x, where –CH_x, R–NO₂, –NO₃⁻, Cu⁺–CO, –CN, –NCO and –NH species were found. On contrary, with propane –CH_x, R–NO₂, NO₃⁻, Cu⁺–CO represented prevailing species. A comparison of the in situ FTIR spectra (T–O–T and intermediate vibrations) recorded at pulses of propene and propane, moreover, under presence and absence of water vapor in the reaction mixture, revealed that the Cu²⁺–Cu⁺ redox cycle operates with the C₃H₆–SCR-NO_x reactions in both presence/absence of water vapor, while with C₃H₈–SCR-NO_x, the redox cycle is suppressed by water vapor. It is concluded that decane cracks to low-chain olefins and paraffins, the former ones, more reactive, preferably take part in SCR-NO_x. It is concluded that formation of olefinic compounds at C₁₀H₂₂–SCR-NO_x is decisive for the high activity in the presence of water vapor, while water molecules block propane activation. The increase in NO_x–N₂ conversion due to water vapor in C₁₀H₂₂–SCR-NO_x should be connected with the increased reactivity of intermediates. These are suggested to pass from R–NO_x → –CN → –NCO → NH₃; the latter reacts with another activated NO_x molecule to molecular nitrogen. The positive effect of water vapor on the NO_x–N₂ conversion is attributed to increased hydrolysis of –NCO intermediates.