Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Sud-chemie Inc.

Robert E Riley

Thomas H Vanderspurt

Arie Bortinger

Jar-Lin Kao

Virginia R Cross

Freddie L Tungate

Edward K Dienes

Mark J Potter

Yeping Cai

Jon P Wagner

William M Faris

Shizhong Zhao

David Tolle

Jeffery E Riley

A promoted calcium-alumina supported reforming catalyst that is particularly useful for reforming reactions where low H/CO ratio synthesis gas, such as less than 2.3 is generated directly is disclosed. The catalyst comprises from about 25 wt % to about 98 wt % alumina, from about 0.5 wt % to about 35 wt % calcium oxide, from about 0.01 wt % to about 35 wt % of a promoter, and from about 0.05 wt % to about 30 wt % of an active metal. The promoter is selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, yttrium, niobium, elements of the lanthanum-series, such as, without limitation, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, ytterbium, and combinations thereof. The active metal is selected from the group consisting of nickel, cobalt, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, iridium and combinations thereof as active metal, wherein the calcium oxide is combined with the alumina to form aluminum-rich calcium aluminates.

Process for the preparation of promoted calcium-aluminate supported catalysts

A process for producing zeolite aggregates involves providing a formable paste composed of zeolite, a binder composed of an organic/metal oxide containing aluminum, a peptizing agent and water; forming the paste into an aggregate, preferably by extruding into an extrudate; curing the aggregate; hydro-thermally calcining the aggregate; and washing the hydro-thermally calcined aggregate with a washing medium, preferably followed by rinsing with a rinsing medium to remove residual washing medium from the aggregate. The washed and rinsed aggregate may then be permitted to equilibrate or is subjected to a drying procedure. Preferably, the washed and rinsed aggregate is again subjected to curing/hydro-thermal calcining. The resultant aggregates, such as extrudates, have an exterior surface with openings and interstitial spaces between particles of binder and zeolite which communicate by such openings between the exterior surface of the aggregate and micropores of the zeolite; the aggregates also exhibit characteristics of crush strength greater than about 0.9 pounds per millimeter and a loss by attrition of less than about 3.0%. Regenerable catalysts, such as reforming catalysts, based on such aggregate also exhibit a catalyst activity pass through to the zeolite bound in the aggregate of at least 70% of the initial catalyst activity of freshly prepared zeolite, as well as exhibiting more than about 70% of the reforming benzene yield that the reforming catalyst exhibited when similarly tested prior to being exposed to a hydrocarbon stream under specified reforming conditions of the catalyst activity test procedures.

Zeolite aggregates and catalysts

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Elizabeth, IN, United States of America

Robert E Riley