The transformations of toluene on alumina and bifunctional catalysts

Abstract

The activity of Pt, Rh, and Ni catalysts deposited on Al2O3 and tungsten-containing catalysts 20% H4SiW12O40/ZrO2 and 15% WOx/ZrO2 in the hydrogenation of toluene and toluene ring opening and isomerization in the presence of hydrogen was studied. Under experimental conditions (160–360°C, 2.2 MPa), the main reactions on Rh/Al2O3 were the hydrogenation of toluene into methylcyclohexane, hydrogenolysis into isoheptanes, and hydrocracking into alkanes C1–C6. On Pt, Rh, and Ni catalysts on carriers with strong acid properties, the isomerization of the six-membered into five-membered ring followed by hydrogenolysis (hydrocracking) of alkylcyclopentanes occurred. The yield of heptane isomers, however, did not exceed 13%. The activity of Pt and Rh catalysts on a high-acidity carrier (WOx/ZrO2) in hydrocracking was much higher than that of catalysts based on deposited heteropoly acid. The yields of hydrogenolysis (hydrocracking) products on Ni/WOx/ZrO2 were much lower than on Pt(Rh)/WOx/ZrO2. The highest yield of ring opening products (isoheptanes and n-heptane) was obtained with layered loading of two catalysts; it reached 58 wt % at 300°C and a 2.2 MPa pressure, which was 4.5 and 2 times higher than the yield obtained on Ni-Pt/WOx/ZrO2 and 2% Rh/Al2O3 catalysts. Hydrodemethylation was not the main direction of toluene transformations on any of the catalysts studied.