The catalytic destructive hydrogenation of paraffin wax

Abstract

1. When heating paraffin wax in an autoclave in the presence of high pressure hydrogen at 450°C during one hour as described below, approx. 30% by weight of this wax is converted into hydrocarbons boiling below 100°C. 2. Under identical conditions but in the presence of hydrogenation catalysts the conversion into lower hydrocarbons was far more pronounced. For instance, by the use of tungsten disulphide as hydrogenation catalyst even 75% by weight of the wax was converted into hydrocarbons boiling below 100°C. Moreover the quality of the reaction products was different. In the experiments in the presence of hydrogenation catalysts these products were far more or completely saturated and the formation of cyclic compounds was very low in comparison with the products of hydrogenation without a catalyst. The catalysts used were : nickel on guhr (i.e. kieselguhr), tungsten disulphide, colloidal molybedunum on active carbon and molybdenum trioxde. 3. By the use of SiO 2-Al 2O 3 cracking catalyst under otherwise identical conditions conversion into lower hydrocarbons was also increased as compared with the experiments mentioned under 1. The products, however, were more unsaturated but they contained about the same amount of rings per molecule, that is approx. 0·3. 4. By the use of mixed type catalyst the conversion as well as the quality of the products were between those of the experiments mentioned under 2 and 3.