Heterogeneous oligomerization of ethylene over highly active and stable Ni-AlSBA-15 mesoporous catalysts

Catalytic Ethylene Oligomerization over Ni/Al-HMS: A Key Step in Conversion of Bio-Ethanol to Higher Olefins

Al-modified hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) materials were synthesized using dodecylamine as a template according to the methods reported in the literature. FT-IR spectra proved that Al3+ ions entered in the HMS framework in Al-HMS (prepared by sol-gel reaction) but Al3+ ions existed in the extra-framework in Al/HMS (prepared by post-modification). NH3-TPD indicated that either Al-HMS or Al/HMS had solid acid sites on the surface, and the acidic strength of Al/HMS was stronger than that of Al-HMS. For ethylene oligomerization at 200 °C under 1 MPa, Ni/Al-HMS showed an ethylene conversion of 96.3%, which was much higher than that over Ni/Al/HMS (45.6%). The selectivity for C4H8, C6H12, C8H16, and C8+ was 37.7%, 24.5%, 24.0%, and 9.1% for ethylene oligomerization over Ni/Al-HMS, respectively. Ni/Al-MCM-41, which has been reported as an effective catalyst for ethylene oligomerization in the literature, showed a high ethylene conversion (95.2%) similar to that of Ni/Al-HMS in this study. However, the selectivity for C8H16 over Ni/Al-MCM-41 (16.3%) was lower than that over Ni/Al-HMS (24.0%) in the ethylene oligomerization. For ethanol dehydration at 300 °C under 1 MPa, a commercial H-ZSM-5 catalyst showed a high ethylene yield (91.2%) after reaction for 24 h using a feed containing 90 wt.% ethanol and 10 wt.% water. In this study, a two-step process containing two fixed-bed reactors and one cold trap was designed to achieve the direct synthesis of higher olefins from bio-ethanol. The cold trap was used to collect the water formed from ethanol dehydration. By using H-ZSM-5 as a catalyst for ethanol dehydration in the first reactor and using Ni/Al-HMS as a catalyst for ethylene oligomerization in the second reactor, higher olefins were continuously formed by feeding a mixture containing 90 wt.% ethanol and 10 wt.% water. The yields of higher olefins did not decrease after reaction for 8 h in the two-step reaction system.

Heterogeneous catalysts for gas-phase conversion of ethylene to higher olefins

The reduced availability of propylene and C4 products from steam crackers continues to provoke on-purpose technologies for light olefins such that almost 30% of propylene in 2025 is predicted to be supplied from unconventional sources. Furthermore, the recent discoveries of natural gas reservoirs have urged interest in the conversion of surplus alkanes and alkenes, especially ethane and ethylene. The direct conversion of ethylene to propylene or a combination of value-added chemicals, including butylenes and oligomers in the range of gasoline and diesel fuel, provides the capability of responding to the fluctuations in the balance between supply and demand of the main petrochemicals. A comprehensive review of heterogeneous catalysts for the gas-phase conversion pathways is presented here in terms of catalytic performances (ethylene conversion and product selectivities), productivities, lifetimes, active sites, physicochemical properties, mechanisms, influence of operating conditions, deactivation and some unresolved/less-advanced aspects of the field. The addressed catalysts cover both zeolitic materials and transition metals, such as tungsten, molybdenum, rhenium and nickel. Efforts in both experimental and theoretical studies are taken into account. Aside from the potential fields of progress, the review reveals very promising performances for the emerging technologies to produce propylene, a mixture of propylene and butenes, or a liquid fuel from ethylene.

Microwave-assisted direct synthesis of butene from high-selectivity methane

Methane was directly converted to butene liquid fuel by microwave-induced non-oxidative catalytic dehydrogenation under 0.1-0.2 MPa. The results show that, under microwave heating in a two-stage fixed-bed reactor, in which nickel powder and NiO _x -MoO_y/SiO₂ are used as the catalyst, the methane-hydrogen mixture is used as the raw material, with no acetylene detected. The methane conversion is more than 73.2%, and the selectivity of methane to butene is 99.0%. Increasing the hydrogen/methane feed volume ratio increases methane conversion and selectivity. Gas chromatography/electron impact ionization/mass spectrometry chromatographic analysis showed that the liquid fuel produced by methane dehydrogenation oligomerization contained 89.44% of butene, and the rest was acetic acid, ethanol, butenol and butyric acid, and the content was 1.0-3.0 wt%.

Study of CeO₂ Modified AlNi Mixed Pillared Clays Supported Palladium Catalysts for Benzene Adsorption/Desorption-Catalytic Combustion

A new functional AlNi-pillared clays (AlNi-PILC) with a large surface area and pore volume was synthesized. The performance of adsorption/desorption-catalytic combustion over CeO_2-modified Pd/AlNi-PILC catalysts was also studied. The results showed that the d₀₀₁-value and specific surface area (S_BET) of AlNi-PILC reached 2.11 nm and 374.8 m²/g, respectively. The large S_BET and the d₀₀₁-value improved the high capacity for benzene adsorption. Also, the strong interaction between PdCe mixed oxides and AlNi-PILC led to the high dispersion of PdO and CeO₂ on the support, which was responsible for the high catalytic performance. Especially, 0.2% Pd/12.5% Ce/AlNi-PILC presented high performance for benzene combustion at 240 °C and high CO₂ selectivity. Also, the combustion temperatures were lower compared to the desorption temperatures, which demonstrated that it could accomplish benzene combustion during the desorption process. Furthermore, its activity did not decrease after continuous reaction for 1000 h in dry air, and it also displayed good resistance to water and the chlorinated compound, making it a promising catalytic material for the elimination of volatile organic compounds.

Catalytic routes to fuels from C1 and oxygenate molecules

This account illustrates concepts in chemical kinetics underpinned by the formalism of transition state theory using catalytic processes that enable the synthesis of molecules suitable as fuels from C₁ and oxygenate reactants. Such feedstocks provide an essential bridge towards a carbon-free energy future, but their volatility and low energy density require the formation of new C–C bonds and the removal of oxygen. These transformations are described here through recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms and site requirements in catalysis by surfaces, with emphasis on enabling concepts that tackle ubiquitous reactivity and selectivity challenges. The hurdles in forming the first C–C bond from C₁ molecules are illustrated by the oxidative coupling of methane, in which surface O-atoms form OH radicals from O₂ and H₂O molecules. These gaseous OH species act as strong H-abstractors and activate C–H bonds with earlier transition states than oxide surfaces, thus rendering activation rates less sensitive to the weaker C–H bonds in larger alkane products than in CH₄ reactants. Anhydrous carbonylation of dimethyl ether forms a single C–C bond on protons residing within inorganic voids that preferentially stabilize the kinetically-relevant transition state through van der Waals interactions that compensate for the weak CO nucleophile. Similar solvation effects, but by intrapore liquids instead of inorganic hosts, also become evident as alkenes condense within MCM-41 channels containing isolated Ni²⁺ active sites during dimerization reactions. Intrapore liquids preferentially stabilize transition states for C–C bond formation and product desorption, leading to unprecedented reactivity and site stability at sub-ambient temperatures and to 1-alkene dimer selectivities previously achieved only on organometallic systems with co-catalysts or activators. C₁ homologation selectively forms C₄ and C₇ chains with a specific backbone (isobutane, triptane) on solid acids, because of methylative growth and hydride transfer rates that reflect the stability of their carbenium ion transition states and are unperturbed by side reactions at low temperatures. Aldol condensation of carbonyl compounds and ketonization of carboxylic acids form new C–C bonds concurrently with O-removal. These reactions involve analogous elementary steps and occur on acid–base site pairs on TiO₂ and ZrO₂ catalysts. Condensations are limited by α-H abstraction to form enolates via concerted interactions with predominantly unoccupied acid–base pairs. Ketonization is mediated instead by C–C bond formation between hydroxy-enolates and monodentate carboxylates on site pairs nearly saturated by carboxylates. Both reactions are rendered practical through bifunctional strategies, in which H₂ and a Cu catalyst function scavenge unreactive intermediates, prevent sequential reactions and concomitant deactivation, and remove thermodynamic bottlenecks. Alkanal–alkene Prins condensations on solid acids occur concurrently with alkene dimerization and form molecules with new C–C bonds as skeletal isomers unattainable by other routes. Their respective transition states are of similar size, leading to selectivities that cannot sense the presence of a confining host. Prins condensation reactions benefit from weaker acid sites because their transition states are less charged than those for oligomerization and consequently less sensitive to conjugate anions that become less stable as acids weaken.

Nano-zirconia as an excellent nano support for immobilization of sulfonic acid: a new, efficient and highly recyclable heterogeneous solid acid nanocatalyst for multicomponent reactions

Nano-zirconia-supported sulfonic acid as a novel, highly efficient and recyclable heterogeneous nanocatalyst is reported for the synthesis of multicomponent reactions.

Nickel and molybdenum containing mesoporous catalysts for ethylene oligomerization and metathesis

Ethylene is converted into propylene by one-pot cascade reactions over catalysts prepared using a commercial mesoporous non-ordered silica as a support.