Influence of pore structure and chemical properties of supported molybdenum catalysts on their performance in upgrading heavy coal liquids

Abstract

In the hydroprocessing of solvent-refined coals, both the pore structure and the chemical properties of the catalysts affect the conversion of the heavy materials. Increasing median pore diameter (MPD) of unimodal Ni-Mo/Al 2 O 3 catalysts in the relatively small pore region (up to 150 A) enhanced the conversion of both asphaltene and preasphaltene, but further increasing the MPD up to 730 A mainly promoted preasphaltene conversion. In the runs of the isolated fractions, however, conversions increased with MPD up to 290 A for asphaltene and up to 730 A for preasphaltene