Selective hydrogenation of (E)-2-hexenal to (E)-2-hexen-1-ol over Co-based bimetallic catalysts

Hydrogenation of (E)-2-hexenal was carried out in a liquid phase using Co-based bimetallic catalysts (M–Co/Al₂O₃, M=Pd, Pt, Ru, Rh, Sn, Fe, or Cu). Pd–Co/Al₂O₃ showed the highest activity among the catalysts tested and catalyzed the hydrogenation of CC bond predominantly to produce hexanal and 1-hexanol. Pt–Co/Al₂O₃ was more active than monometallic Co/Al₂O₃ for the hydrogenation of CO bond. The excellent result, 92% selectivity to (E)-2-hexen-1-ol formation at 90% conversion, was obtained by the hydrogenation over Pt–Co/Al₂O₃ bimetallic catalyst. No improved activities were observed for the other bimetallic catalysts.     

Hydrogenation of Nitrobenzene with Supported Transition Metal Catalysts in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Transition metal catalysts such as Pd, Pt, Ru, and Rh supported on carbon, silica and alumina have been examined for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene (NB) in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) and in ethanol. The order of hydrogenation activity is Pt>Pd>Ru, Rh in scCO₂ and in ethanol. The effectiveness of the support is C>Al₂O₃, SiO₂ for either Pt or Pd in scCO₂. For all the catalysts, higher selectivity to aniline has been obtained in scCO₂ compared with ethanol. Hydrogenation of nitrobenzene catalyzed with Pd/C and Pt/C catalysts was successfully conducted in scCO₂ with a 100% yield to aniline at a lower reaction temperature of 35 °C. The product aniline (organic phase) can be easily separated from the side‐product water (aqueous phase), solvent (scCO₂), and catalyst (solid) by a simple phase separation process. The hydrogenation of NB is a structure‐sensitive reaction in ethanol as well as in scCO₂ except for a few Pt/C catalysts in which the degree of metal dispersion is small (<0.08).     

Catalytic hydrogenation of linoleic acid over platinum-group metals supported on alumina

Catalytic activity and selectivity for hydrogenation of linoleic acid (cis-9,cis-12 18:2) were studied on Pt, Pd, Ru, and Ir supported on Al₂O₃. Stearic acid (18:0) and 10 different octadecenoic isomers (18:1) in the products could be separated completely by using a new capillary column coated by isocyanopropyl trisilphenylene siloxane for gas-liquid chromatography. The monoenoic acid isomers and dienoic acid isomers in the products on the various catalysts showed different distributions. The catalysts exhibited nearly equal selectivity for stearic acid formation. The 12-position double bond in linoleic acid has higher reactivity than the 9-position double bond in catalytic hydrogenation on platinum-group metal catalysts. In addition to hydrogenation products of linoleic acid, geometrical and positional dienoic acid isomers (trans-9,trans-12; trans-8,cis-12; cis-9,trans-13; trans-9,cis-13; cis-9,trans-12 18:2), due to isomerization of linoleic acid during hydrogenation, were contained in the reaction products. Ru/Al₂O₃ exhibited the highest activity for isomerization of linoleic acid with the noble metal catalysts. Conjugated octadecadienoic acid isomers have been observed in products of the reaction on Pt/Al₂O₃, Ru/Al₂O₃, and Ir/Al₂O₃. Catalytic activities of noble metals for positional and geometric isomerization of linoleic acid during hydrogenation decreased in the sequence of Ru ≥ Pt > Ir » Pd.     

Hydrogenation of the Aromatics and Olefins in FCC Gasoline During Deep Desulphurisation

The applicability of four catalyst with different composition (conventional and new generation CoMo/Al₂O₃, new composition Pt,Pd/USY, Pt/H-Mordenite) catalysts was investigated for selective desulphurization of different sulphur containing FCC gasolines. The new generation CoMo/Al₂O₃ and the new composition Pt,Pd/USY were found to have favourable hydrodesulphurisation activity. The reactions of some C₅-C₆ olefin and aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed under the conditions of deep desulphurisation, highlighting the effects of that on the octane number.     

Nitrogen Tolerant Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts Based on Rh and Ru Promoted Mo/Al2O3

Rh and Ru promoted Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts were tested in HDS of thiophene in the presence of different amounts of pyridine and compared with CoMo/Al₂O₃. The Rh and Ru promoted catalysts were more nitrogen tolerant and in the presence of pyridine showed higher HDS activities than CoMo/Al₂O₃. This was explained by higher C–N bond hydrogenolysis activity and high nitrogen tolerance of the free Rh and Ru sulfides in the promoted catalysts.     

Effect of the zeolite modulus of Pt/MOR/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-heptane isomerization reaction

The effect of the mordenite acidic modulus (SiO₂/Al₂O₃, 20 and 30) of Pt/MOR/Al2O3 catalysts on the heptane isomerization reaction is investigated. The content of zeolite in the catalysts is varied from 10 to 50 wt %, with platinum applied to the samples from solutions of different precursors: H₂PtCl₆ and [Pt(NH₃)₄]Cl₂. It is established via the TPD of ammonia and FTIR spectroscopy (the adsorption of NH₃ and СО) that the total acidity of zeolite falls as the modulus grows: the number of Brønsted (BAC) and Lewis (LAC) acidic sites is reduced, accompanied by an increase in the strength of their acidity. The catalysts are tested in the n-heptane isomerization reaction. It is shown that the selectivity of n-heptane isomerization falls substantially when the acidic mordenite modulus is increased from 20 to 30.     

Mesoporous silica–alumina as support for Pt and Pt–Mo sulfide catalysts: Effect of Pt loading on activity and selectivity in HDS and HDN of model compounds

The potential of mesoporous silica–alumina (MSA) material as support for the preparation of sulfided Pt and Pt–Mo catalysts of varying Pt loadings was studied. The catalysts were characterized by their texture, hydrogen adsorption, transmission electron microscopy, temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and by activity in simultaneous hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) of pyridine. Sulfided Pt/MSA catalysts with 1.3 and 2 wt.% Pt showed almost the same HDS and higher HDN activities per weight amounts as conventional CoMo and NiMo/Al₂O₃, respectively. The addition of Pt to sulfided Mo/MSA led to promotion in HDS and HDN with an optimal promoter content close to 0.5 wt.%. The results of TPR showed strong positive effect of Pt on reducibility of the MoS₂ phase which obviously reflects in higher activity of the promoted catalysts. The activity of the MSA-supported Pt–Mo catalyst containing 0.5 wt.% Pt was significantly higher than the activity of alumina-supported Pt–Mo catalyst. Generally, Pt–Mo/MSA catalysts promoted by 0.3–2.3 wt.% Pt showed lower HDS and much higher HDN activities as compared to weight amounts of CoMo and NiMo/Al₂O₃. It is proposed that thiophene HDS and pyridine hydrogenation proceed over Pt/MSA and the majority of Pt–Mo/MSA catalysts on the same type of catalytic sites, which are associated with sulfided Pt and MoS₂ phases. On the contrary, piperidine hydrogenolysis takes place on different sites, most likely on metallic Pt fraction or sites created by abstraction of sulfur from MoS₂ in the presence of Pt.     

Bio gas oils with improved low temperature properties

During hydrodeoxygenation of triglycerides to motor fuel the isomerization reactions have an important role, since the cold flow properties of the product are improved significantly by increase of isoparaffin content of the product in gas oil boiling range. Accordingly, the aim of our research program was to select and investigate suitable catalyst(s) for producing relatively high isoparaffin containing product for a long time of preserved activity. Both not-presulphided CoMo/Al₂O₃ and NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts have isomerization activity, however, in the case of CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst triglyceride conversion is higher by 25.1-30.5 abs%, as well as yields by 24.2-24.6 abs% corresponding by 0.18-0.33 higher i-/n-paraffin ratio than for NiMo/Al₂O₃ under favorable conditions. Thereby products with more advantageous cold flow properties can be produced on CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst.     

Effective combination of non-thermal plasma and catalyst for removal of volatile organic compounds and NOx

A plasma/catalyst hybrid reactor was designed to overcome the limits of plasma and catalyst technologies. A two-plasma/catalyst hybrid system was used to decompose VOCs (toluene) and NOx at temperature lower than 150 °C. The single-stage type (Plasma-driven catalyst process) is the system in which catalysts are installed in a non-thermal plasma reactor. And the two-stage type (Plasma-enhanced process) is the system in which a plasma and a catalyst reactor are connected in series. The catalysts prepared in this experiment were Pt/TiO₂ and Pt/Al₂O₃ of powder type and Pd/ZrO₂, Pt/ZrO₂ and Pt/Al₂O₃ which were catalysts of honeycomb type. When a plasma-driven catalyst reactor with Pt/Al₂O₃ decomposed only toluene, it removed just more 20% than the only plasma reactor but the selectivity of CO₂ was remarkably elevated as compared with only the plasma reactor. In case of decomposing VOCs (toluene) and NOx using plasma-enhanced catalyst reactor with Pt/ZrO₂ or Pt/Al₂O₃, the conversion of toluene to CO₂ was nearly 100% and about 80% of NOx was removed. This work was presented at the 6 ^th Korea-China Workshop on Clean Energy Technology held at Busan, Korea, July 4–7, 2006.     

The functionalities of Pt-Mo catalysts in hydrotreatment reactions

The catalytic functionalities of bimetallic Pt-Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts in hydrotreatment were studied by performing simultaneous and independent dibenzothiophene (DBT) hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and naphthalene hydrodearomatization (HDA) reactions as a function of the activating agent and the MoO₃ content. Pt-Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts always displayed a higher selectivity to both the direct route of desulfurization (DDS) of DBT and to HDS over HDA than the one exhibited by conventional CoMo and NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃. It was established that for the Pt-Mo catalytic system, the selectivity DDS to the hydrogenation route of desulfurization of DBT can be indirectly described by the selectivity HDS/HDA in simultaneous HDS-HDA catalytic tests. The model of an active phase composed of separated metallic Pt particles, PtS_x species, and sulfided Mo which can either act as independent or cooperative active centers seems to be suitable to explain both the observed kinetic trends and the synergy effect between Pt and Mo.     

Co/Al2O3 catalysts promoted with noble metals for production of hydrogen by methane steam reforming

The effect of noble metal addition on the catalytic properties of Co/Al₂O₃ was evaluated for the steam reforming of methane. Co/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared with addition of different noble metals (Pt, Pd, Ru and Ir 0.3 wt.%) by a wetness impregnation method and characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) of the reduced catalysts. The UV–vis spectra of the samples indicate that, most likely, large amounts of the supported cobalt form Co species in which cobalt is in octahedral and tetrahedral symmetries. No peaks assigned to cobalt species from aluminate were found for the promoted and unpromoted cobalt catalysts. TPO analyses showed that the addition of the noble metals on the Co/Al₂O₃ catalyst leads to a more stable metallic state and less susceptible to the deactivation process during the reforming reaction. The Co/Al₂O₃ promoted with Pt showed higher stability and selectivity for H₂production during the methane steam reforming.     

Nanosized Composite Pt‐Ru Catalysts for Production of Modern Modified Fuels

A Pt‐Ru/2 % Ce/(θ+α)‐Al₂O₃ nanosized catalyst was developed for selective catalytic oxidation of CH₄ to synthesis gas. The process was carried out entirely with the formation of synthesis gas at high selectivity by H₂ and CO with H₂:CO = 2.0 ratio only at Pt:Ru = 2:1 or 1:1 atomic ratio and short contact time on Pt‐, Ru‐, and Pt‐Ru low‐percentage catalysts. Samples, which were reduced by H₂ at high temperature, presented a mixture of Pt‐, Ru‐, and Pt‐Ru nanosized particles, its alloy in the mixed catalysts. The correlation between experimental results and data of physicochemical research was established. The activity together with physicochemical properties and quantum chemical calculations for the developed low‐percentage Pt‐Ru catalysts was investigated.     

Pt/BEA–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts for the isomerization of benzene/heptane mixtures. I: Optimizing the support’s composition

Pt/BEA–Al₂O₃ catalysts for the hydroisomerization of benzene-containing gasoline fractions are studied using a model feedstock (20% benzene and 80% n-heptane). The catalysts are prepared by varying the zeolite content from 5 to 70 wt % at a constant Pt loading of 0.3 wt % in all samples, with an aqueous H₂PtCl₆ solution being used as the Pt precursor. The acid properties of the samples are studied by means of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The effect of the support’s zeolite/binder ratio on the activity of the catalysts is determined: an increase in the zeolite content raises the system’s acidity and shifts the range of the reaction toward lower temperatures. The optimum zeolite/binder ratio is found to be 30% BEA/70% Al₂O₃. Changing the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of the zeolite from 25 to 40 is shown to have no noticeable effect on catalyst activity. The use of the catalysts supported on 30% BEA/70% Al₂O₃ in the hydroisomerization of benzenecontaining gasoline fractions can be recommended for improving environmental performance.     

Hydrotreatment of jatropha oil over noble metal catalysts

Jatropha oil is a promising nonedible feedstock for producing renewable diesel. In this work, the hydrotreatment processing of jatropha oil was investigated. Instead of using conventional alumina-supported Co–Mo, Ni–Mo, and Ni–W catalysts that need sulfidation pretreatment, noble metals such as Pd and Ru were chosen. Trials were performed in an isothermal trickle-bed reactor and the reaction conditions were as follows: temperature 603–663?K, weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) 1 to 4/h, pressure 1.5–3?MPa, and H₂/oil ratio 200–800 (v/v). Yield of n-C₁₅ to n-C₁₈ hydrocarbons was maximized (70.3 and 43.8% for Pd/Al₂O₃ and Ru/Al₂O₃, respectively) at the following conditions: T?=?663 K, WHSV?=?2/h, P?=?3?MPa, and H₂/oil ratio?=?600 (v/v). Since Ru favored cracking reactions to a larger extent than Pd, the yield of C₁₅ to C₁₈ hydrocarbons over Ru/Al₂O₃ was lowered. Using simple first-order plots for oil conversion, activation energies for the hydrotreating process over Pd/Al₂O₃ and Ru/Al₂O₃ were found and they were equal to 109 and 121?kJ/mol, correspondingly.     

Effects of preparation conditions in hydrothermal synthesis of highly active unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts for simultaneous hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene

Unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts were prepared from ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) and nickel nitrate by using a hydrothermal synthesis method involving water, organic solvent and hydrogen. The activity of these catalysts in the simultaneous hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) was much higher than that of the commercial NiMo/Al₂O₃ sulfide catalysts. Interestingly, the unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts showed higher activity for hydrogenation (HYD) pathway than the direct desulfurization (DDS) pathway in the HDS of DBT. The same trends were observed for the HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. Morphology, surface area, pore volume and the HDS activity of unsupported NiMo sulfide catalyst depended on the catalyst preparation conditions. Higher temperature and higher H₂ pressure and addition of an organic solvent were found to increase the HDS activity of unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts for both DBT and 4,6-DMDBT HDS. Higher preparation temperature increased HYD selectivity but decreased DDS selectivity. High-resolution TEM images revealed that unsupported NiMo sulfide prepared at 375 °C shows lower number of layers in the stacks of catalyst with more curvature and shorter length of slabs compared to that prepared at 300 °C. On the other hand, higher preparation pressure increased DDS selectivity but decreased HYD selectivity for HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. HRTEM images showed higher number of layers in the stack for the NiMo sulfide prepared under an initial H₂ pressure of 3.4 MPa compared to that under 2.1 MPa. The optimal Ni/(Mo + Ni) ratio for the NiMo sulfide catalyst was 0.5, higher than that for the conventional Al₂O₃-supported NiMo sulfide catalysts. This was attributed to the high dispersion of the active species and more active NiMoS generated. The present study also provides new insight for controlling the catalyst selectivity as well as activity by tailoring the hydrothermal preparation conditions.     

An overview: Comparative kinetic behaviour of Pt, Rh and Pd in the NO + CO and NO + H2 reactions

This paper reports a comparative kinetic investigation of the overall reduction of NO in the presence of CO or H₂ over supported Pt-, Rh- and Pd-based catalysts. Different activity sequences have been established for the NO+H₂ reaction Pt/Al₂O₃>Pd/Al₂O₃>Rh/Al₂O₃ and for the NO+CO reaction Rh/Al₂O₃>Pd/Al₂O₃> Pt/Al₂O₃. It was found that both reactions differ from the rate determining step usually ascribed to the dissociation of chemisorbed NO molecules. The rate enhancement observed for the NO+H₂ reaction has been mainly related to the involvement of a dissociation step of chemisorbed NO molecules assisted by adjacent chemisorbed H atoms. The calculation of the kinetic and thermodynamic constants from steady-state rate measurements and subsequent comparisons show that Pd and Rh are predominantly covered by chemisorbed NO molecules in our operating conditions which could explain either changes in activity or in selectivity with the lack of ammonia formation on Rh/Al₂O₃ during the NO+H₂ reaction. Interestingly, Pd and Rh exhibit similar selectivity behaviour towards the production of nitrous oxide (N₂O) irrespective of the nature of the reducing agent (CO or H₂). A weak partial pressure dependency of the selectivity is observed which can be related to the predominant formation of N₂ via a reaction between chemisorbed NO molecules and N atoms, while over Pt-based catalysts the associative desorption of two adjacent N atoms would occur simultaneously. Such tendencies are still observed under lean conditions in the presence of an excess of oxygen. However, a detrimental effect is observed on the selectivity with an enhancement of the competitive H₂+O₂ reaction, and on the activity behaviour with a strong oxygen inhibiting effect on the rate of NO conversion, particularly on Rh.     

Hydroprocessing of straight run diesel mixed with light cycle oil from fluid catalytic cracking,using sulfide NiMo catalyst on zeolite-containing supports

It is proposed that the sulfide NiMo system supported on alumina-SAPO-31 composite (NiMo/Al₂O₃-SAP catalyst) be used to obtain high-quality diesel fuel from a mixture of straight run diesel (SRGO) and light cycle oil (LCO) produced by fluid catalytic cracking (FCC). It is shown that the use of this catalyst ensures the synthesis of diesel fuel of higher quality upon hydroprocessing a feedstock with 30 wt % LCO, compared to the traditional sulfide NiMo/Al₂O₃ or CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts. It is found that the content of aliphatic hydrocarbons is raised in the products of hydrotreatment, compared to the initial feedstock. This confirms the ability of NiMo/Al₂O₃-SAP catalyst to facilitate the reaction of ring opening. Using the proposed catalyst should improve the quality of diesel fuels obtained via the hydroprocessing of LCO-containing feedstock.     

Mechanisms of hydrodenitrogenation of alkylamines and hydrodesulfurization of alkanethiols on NiMo/Al2O3, CoMo/Al2O3, and Mo/Al2O3

The simultaneous hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) of alkylamines and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of alkanethiols, with the NH₂ and SH groups attached to primary, secondary, and tertiary carbon atoms, were studied at 270–320 °C and 3 MPa over sulfided NiMo/Al₂O₃, CoMo/Al₂O₃, and Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts. Pentylamine and 2-hexylamine reacted by substitution with H₂S to form alkanethiols and with another amine molecule to form dialkylamines. Alkenes and alkanes were not formed directly from pentylamine and 2-hexylamine, but indirectly by elimination and hydrogenolysis of the alkanethiol intermediates, as confirmed by their secondary behavior and the similar alkene/alkane ratios in the simultaneous reactions of amines and thiols. Only 2-methyl-2-butylamine, with the NH₂ group attached to a tertiary carbon atom, produced alkenes as primary products by E1 elimination. NiMo/Al₂O₃ and CoMo/Al₂O₃ have a higher activity for the HDS of alkanethiols than does Mo/Al₂O₃; H₂S has a negative influence. This shows that the thiols react on vacancies on the catalyst surface (Lewis acid sites). Mo/Al₂O₃ is the best HDN catalyst; H₂S has a positive influence on the HDN of amines with the NH₂ group attached to a secondary and a tertiary carbon atom. This indicates that the HDN of alkylamines occurs on Brønsted acid sites.     

Isomerization of n-heptane on Pt/MOR/Al2O3 catalysts

Pt/MOR/Al₂O₃ catalysts with mordenite zeolite contents of 10 to 50 wt % are prepared. Solutions of H₂PtCl₆ and [Pt(NH₃)₄]Cl₂ are used as precursors of Pt. It is shown by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that the localization of platinum on a MOR/Al₂O₃ mixed support depends directly on the nature of the metal’s precursor. The catalysts are tested in the isomerization of n-heptane. It is shown that the best samples of catalysts provide yields of the target products (dimethyl and trimethyl substituted isomers of heptanes) on the level of 21 wt % at a temperature of 280°C, while those of a C₅₊ stable catalyzate are on the level of 79–82 wt %. The catalysts can be used to improve the environmental friendliness of gasolines by employing them in the isomerization of the 70–105°C fraction of directly distilled gasoline.     

Zeolite beta catalysts for n-C7 hydroisomerization

Zeolite β with Si/2Al ratios of 60, 100, and 200 were synthesized using tetraethlammonium hydroxide (TEAOH) as the structure-directing agent (SDA) in the absence of alkali metal cations. Pt, Pd and Pt-Pd catalysts supported on the zeolite β samples were studied in n-heptane (n-C7) hydroisomerization. The Pt/β catalysts showed a higher catalytic activity than the Pd/β catalysts. For the Pt/β with a Si/2Al ratio of 100, its n-C7 conversion and selectivity of C7 isomers were observed to be 87.06% and 75.48% respectively at 250^°C. The activity of n-C7 conversion was stable for at least 82 h. However, the selectivity of C7 isomers was gradually decreased with the reaction time. Experimental data also showed that the addition of Pd to catalyst Pt/β enhanced the n-C7 conversion, but lowered the selectivity of C7 isomers. Pd catalyst was also observed to minimize the formation of aromatics in comparison with Pt catalyst.