Hydrocarbon conversion with a multimetallic catalytic composite

Abstract

Hydrocarbons are converted by contacting them at hydrocarbon conversion conditions with a trimetallic acidic catalytic composite comprising a combination of catalytically effective amounts of a platinum or palladium component, a rhodium component, a bismuth component, and a halogen component with a porous carrier material. The platinum or palladium component, rhodium component, and halogen component are present in the trimetallic catalyst in amounts respectively, calculated on an elemental basis, corresponding to about 0.01 to about 2 wt. % platinum or palladium, about 0.01 to about 2 wt. % rhodium, and about 0.1 to about 3.5 wt. % halogen. The bismuth component is present in amounts corresponding to an atomic ratio of bismuth to platinum or palladium of about 0.1:1 to about 1:1. Moreover, these metallic components are uniformly dispersed throughout the porous carrier material in carefully controlled oxidation states such that substantially all of the platinum or palladium, rhodium, and bismuth components are present therein in the corresponding elemental metallic states. A specific example of the type of hydrocarbon conversion process disclosed is a process for the catalytic reforming of a low-octane gasoline fraction wherein the gasoline fraction and hydrogen stream are contacted with the acidic trimetallic catalyst disclosed herein at reforming conditions.