Abstract
Hydroisomerization of long chain paraffins for the production of branched alkanes has recently been intensively studied due to a large availability of these compounds. The most interesting research topics have been the development of novel bifunctional catalysts to maximize the yield of isomers and to suppress the cracking reactions. Since both of these reactions are catalyzed by Brønsted acid sites, the optimum catalyst exhibits equal amounts of metal and acid sites, and it facilitates rapid mass transfer. Thus, several hierarchical and nano-shaped zeolites have been developed, in addition to composite catalysts containing both micro- and mesoporous phases. In addition to catalyst development, the effect of the reactant structure, optimal reaction conditions, catalyst stability and comparison of batch vs continuous operations have been made.
Highlights
Hydroconversion has played an important role in the petroleum industry for decades
Intergrowth of ZSM-22/ZSM-23, loading of Pt by impregnation resulted in the formation of micro-mesoporous catalyst with such specific properties as lower acidity, needle-shaped particles, which were agglomerating, forming spherical 10 μm particles [27]
Hydroisomerization of hexadecane was performed in batch reactors with bifunctional catalysts containing 0.5 wt % platinum with ZSM-5, ZSM-22, SAPO-11, Al-MCM-41, H-Y, or H-β as supports [1]
Summary
Hydroconversion has played an important role in the petroleum industry for decades. It is a well-explored and recognized technology that has been used in crude oil refining. Transformations of normal to branched alkanes is carried out mainly by hydroconversion, i.e., hydrocracking and hydroisomerization. Selective hydroisomerization is a highly desirable reaction in oil refineries, and it is used mainly in two processes; first, for the improvement of the octane number for the gasoline pool (C5 –C6 ), and second, for dewaxing of long-chain hydrocarbons for improvement in their cetane number and cold flow properties. In both of these processes, linear hydrocarbons are transformed to branched alkanes exhibiting the same carbon number [2,3]. Batch and continuous operations will be compared, and the long-term performance of catalysts will be discussed
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