Total Raffinage Distribution S.a.

Jean-Pierre Dath

Georges Szabo

Pedro Nascimento

Alain Milan

Sebastien Decker

Joeri Denayer

The invention relates to an acid catalyst containing a substantial quantity of supported or mass sulfated zirconia and at least one hydrogenating transition metal. This catalyst is characterized by the fact that the sulfated zirconia is in crystallized form and that it shows a specific surface area greater than or equal to 135 m /g, a pore volume greater than or equal to 0.16 cm /g and an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 20 Angstroms (20&times;10 m). The invention also relates to methods of making this catalyst and to the uses of this catalyst in hydrocarbon transformation chemical reactions requiring the use of an acid type catalyst, such as for example, isomerization, alkylation, oligomerization reactions or even light hydrocarbon dehydration reactions, and also heavier hydrocarbon hydrocracking and hydroisomerization reactions. In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, a hydrated zirconia gel is washed with a soluble polar organic solvent (other than water). In accordance with the method including this washing step, a solid acid catalyst containing pure mass sulfated zirconia in a crystallized form has a surface area greater than or equal to 150 m /g, a pore volume greater than or equal to 0.2 cm /g, and more preferably greater than or equal to 0.25 cm /g, and an average pore diameter greater than or equal to 20 Angstroms (20&times;10 m) and preferably greater than or equal to 30 Angstroms (30&times;10 m).

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Beloeil, Belgium

Jean-Pierre Dath