Product Identification and Mass Spectrometric Analysis of n-Butane and i-Butane Pyrolysis at Low Pressure

The pyrolysis of n-butane and i-butane at low pressure was investigated from 823-1823 K in an electrically heated flow reactor using synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry. More than 20 species, especially several radicals and isomers, were detected and identified from the measurements of photoionization efficiency （PIE） spectra. Based on the mass spectrometric analysis, the characteristics of n-butane and i-butane pyrolysis were discussed, which provided experimental evidences for the discussion of decomposition pathways of butane isomers. It is concluded that the isomeric structures of n-butane and i-butane have strong influence on their main decomposition pathways, and lead to dramatic differences in their mass spectra and PIE spectra such as the different dominant products and isomeric structures of butene products. Furthermore, compared with n-butane,i-butane can produce strong signals of benzene at low temperature in its pyrolysis due to the enhanced formation of benzene precursors like propargyl and C4 species, which provides experimental clues to explain the higher sooting tendencies of iso-alkanes than n-alkanes.

Synergistic effect between Sn and K promoters on supported platinum catalyst for isobutane dehydrogenation

Catalytic dehydrogenation of isobutane has recently received considerable attention because of the increasing demand for isobutene.In this study,the synergistic effect between Sn and K on PtSnK/γ-Al2O3 catalysts has been investigated by changing the content of Sn.It was found that with the presence of potassium,suitable addition of Sn could not only increase the metal dispersion,but also reduce the catalyst acidity.In these cases,the synergistic effect could also strengthen the interactions between the metal and support,which resulted in an increase in both catalytic activity and stability.In our experiments,Pt-0.6SnK/Al catalyst exhibited the lowest deactivation rate （12.4%） and showed a selectivity to isobutene higher than 94% at the isobutane conversion of about 45.3% after running the reaction for 6 h.However,with the excessive loading of Sn,surface property of active sites and the interactions between metal and support were changed.As a result,the initial optimal ratio between the metallic function and acid function would be destroyed,which was disadvantageous to the reaction.

Investigation of the characteristics and deactivation of catalytic active center of Cr-Al_2O_3 catalysts for isobutane dehydrogenation

Deactivation mechanism of Cr-Al2O3catalyst and the interaction of Cr-A1 in the dehydrogenation of isobutane, as well as the nature of the catalytic active center, were studied using XRD, SEM, XPS, H2-TPR, isobutane-TPR and TPO techniques. The results revealed that the deactivation of Cr-Al2O3 catalyst was mainly caused by carbon deposition on its surface. The Cr3＋ ion could not be reduced by hydrogen but could be reduced to Cr2＋ by hydrocarbons and monoxide carbon. The active center for isobutane dehydrogenation could be Cr2＋/Cr3＋ produced from Cr6＋ by the on line reduction of hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide. The binding energy of Al3＋ was strongly affected by the state of chromium cations in the catalysts.

Coupling dehydrogenation of isobutane in the presence of carbon dioxide over chromium oxide supported on active carbon

The dehydrogenation of isobutane （IB） to produce isobutene coupled with reverse water gas shift in the presence of carbon dioxide was investigated over the catalyst Cr2O3 supported on active carbon （Cr2O3/AC）. The results illustrated that isobutane conversion and isobutene yield can be enhanced through the reaction coupling in the presence of carbon dioxide. Moreover, carbon dioxide can partially eliminate carbonaceous deposition on the catalyst and keep the active phase （Cr2O3）, which are then helpful to alleviate the catalyst deactivation.

Analysis of long term catalytic performance for isobutane alkylation catalyzed by NMA–AlCl3 based ionic liquid analog

Isobutane alkylation with 2-butene to produce high-quality gasoline was catalyzed by Nmethylacetamide(NMA)-AlCl3 based ionic liquid(IL) analog with a NMA/AlCl3 molar ratio of 0.75 and CuCl modification,which was marked as CuCl-modified 0.75 NMA-1.0 AlCl3.The long-term experiment was carried out in the autoclave operated in continuous mode to investigate the distribution of alkylate under different experimental nodes.The result indicated that the long-term alkylation was divided into three stages:rising,stable,and descending regions.C8 selectivity and molar ratio of trimethylpentanes(TMPs) to dimethylhexanes(DMHs) reached the highest level in the stable region,and research octane number(RON) of alkylate was as high as 97.Anionic Al species([AlbCl7]^-,[A1 CuC15]^-) and cationic Al species([AlCl2 L]^+) from IL analog as two active Lewis acidic species played a catalytic role in the long-term alkylation,whereas the neutral Al species did not participate into the alkylation.Moreover,the structure of CuCl-modified 0.75 NMA-1.0 AlCl3 was destroyed after the deactivation,and CuCl was enriched in the CD2 Cl2-insoluble substance,resulting in a decreasing TMP/DMH ratio.The catalytic lifetime of IL analog was similar with CuCl-modified 0.55 Et3 NHCl-1.0 AlCl3 IL,but IL analog had a lower cost.

Modeling of Isobutane/Butene Alkylation Using Solid Acid Catalysts in a Fixed Bed Reactor

A dynamic mass transfer model of isobutane/butene alkylation over solid acid catalysts in a fixed bed reactor was established. In the model, a modified equation for the relationship between point activity and effective diffusion coefficient was proposed. It is found that the simulation results fit the experimental data well and the breakthrough time of the bed layer is predicted accurately. By modeling the alkylation process, the time-space distribution of butene and point activity profiles of catalysts can be obtained. Furthermore, the reasons for the deactivation of solid acid catalysts were investigated. It indicates that the main reason for the deactivation of catalysts is the site coverage near the inlet of the reactor, while it is ascribed to the steric effect in the region far away from the inlet.

Simple Preparation of Spherical Activated Carbon with Mesoporous Structure from Phenolic Resol and Associated Catalytic Performance in Isobutane Dehydrogenation

This study provides a detailed report on the synthesis of spherical activated carbon with mesoporous structure using a soluble low molecular weight phenolic resol precursor through an ammonium alginate assisted sol–gel method. The effects of calcinating temperature and the addition of CaCO_3 as a pore-enlarging agent on texture structure and catalytic performance in isobutane dehydrogenation to isobutene were investigated. Characterization of N_2 sorption,mechanical strength tests,and optical photographs confirmed that the obtained carbon materials had high mechanical strength,a good degree of sphericity,and a large surface area. Introducing CaCO_3 as a pore-enlarging agent during the preparation process promoted the formation of a mesoporous structure of carbon spheres and evidently increased the surface area and oxygen content,which can improve isobutane conversion and isobutene selectivity of these carbon spheres. The conversion of isobutane reached up to 28% for this spherical activated carbon,and the selectivity of isobutene reached up to 96%. Isobutane conversion increased with an increase in calcination temperature due to an increase in the oxygen content,whereas the selectivity of isobutene decreased due to the slight decrease in the specific surface area.

Promotional Effect of Bismuth as Dopant in Bi-Doped Vanadyl Pyrophosphate Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of n-Butane to Maleic Anhydride

Bismuth-promoted （1% and 3%） vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts were prepared by refluxing Bi（NO3）4.5H2O and VOPO4.2H2O in isobutanol. The incorporation of Bi into the catalysts lattice increased the surface area and lowered the overall V oxidation state. Profiles of temperature programmed reduction （TPR） in H2 show a significant shift of the maxima of major reduction peaks to lower temperatures for the Bi-promoted catalysts. A new peak was also observed at the low temperature region for the catalyst with 3% of Bi dopant. The addition of Bi also increased the total amount of oxygen removed from the catalysts. The reduction pattern and reactivity information provide fundamental insight into the catalytic properties of the catalysts. Bi-promoted catalysts were found to be highly active （71% and 81% conversion for 1% and 3% Bi promoted catalysts, respectively, at 703 K）, as compared to the unpromoted material （47% conversion）. The higher activity of the Bi-promoted catalysts is due to that these catalysts possess highly active and labile lattice oxygen. The better catalytic performance can also be attributed to the larger surface area.

Propane Dehydrogenation over a Commercial Pt-Sn/Al2O3 Catalyst for Isobutane Dehydrogenation： Optimization of Reaction Conditions

The applicability of a commercial Pt-Sn/Al2O3 isobutane dehydrogenation catalyst in dehydrogenation of propane was studied. Catalyst performance tests were carded out in a fixed-bed quartz reactor under different operating conditions. Generally, as the factors improving propane conversion decrease the propylene selectivity, the optimal operating condition to maximize propylene yield is expected. The optimal condition was obtamed by the experimental design method. The investigated parameters were temperature, hydrogen/hydrocarbon （HE/HC） ratio and space velocity, being changed in three levels. Constrains such as the susceptibility of the catalyst components to sintering or phase transformation were also taken into account. Activity, selectivity and stability of the catalyst were considered as the measured response factors, while the space-time-yield （STY） was considered as the variable to be optimized due to its commercial interest. A STY of 16 mol.kg^-1.h^-1 was achieved under the optimal conditions of T= 620 ℃, H2/HC = 0.6 and, weight hourly space velocity （WHSV） = 2.2 h^-1. Single carbon-carbon bond rupture was found to be the main route for the formation of lower hydrocarbon byproducts.

Isobutane dehydrogenation over chromia alumina catalysts prepared from MIL-101: Insight into chromium species on activity and selectivity

Various mesoporous chromia alumina catalysts were prepared by five different methods based on a metal-organic framework MIL-101 and their catalytic performances over isobutane dehydrogenation were investigated. The highly dispersed chromium species were produced on catalyst KCrAI-I1 with largest specific surface area of 198 m2-g-1 prepared with aluminium isopropoxide （Al（i-OC3HT）3） by ultrasonic im- pregnation method. However, the catalyst KCrAI-I2 synthesized by stirring impregnation possessed crystalline a-Cr203 phase, which was poorly dispersed. Two types of Cr-rich and Al-rich CrzA12_zO3 solid solutions, designated as CrAI-I and CrAI-II phase, were formed over the catalysts KCrAI-I3 （prepared by Al（i-OC3HT）3 with nitric acid regulation）, KCrA1-C4 （prepared by aluminium chloride hexahydrate） and KCrA1-N5 （prepared by aluminium nitrate nonahydrate）. Catalytic evaluation results revealed that KCrAI-I1 exhibited the high isobutane con- version due to its highly dispersed chromium species. However, KCrAI-I3, KCrA1-C4 and KCrA1-N5 showed the higher isobutene selectivity （95.2%-96.4%） on account of the formation of chromia alumina solid solutions in the catalysts. Moreover, the solid solution over the chromia alumina catalysts could greatly suppress the coke formation.

Dehydrogenation of n-butane over vanadia catalysts supported on silica gel

VOx/SiO2 catalysts prepared by impregnation method were used for catalytic dehydrogenation of n-butane to butenes and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, UV-vis, Raman, and BET measurements. The effects of VOx loading and the reaction temperature on the VOx/SiO2 catalysts and their catalytic performances for the dehydrogenation of n-butane were studied. When the VOx loading was 12% g/gcat and reaction temperature was between 590 ℃ and 600℃, n-butane conversion and butenes yields reached the highest value under H2 flux of 10 ml/min and n-butane flux of 10 ml/min. Product distribution, such as the ratio of 2-butene to 1-butene and the ratio of cis-2-butene to trans-2-butene, was mainly influenced by the reaction temperature.

Effects of Cs-substitution and partial reduction on catalytic performance of Keggin-type phosphomolybdic polyoxometalates for selective oxidation of isobutane

The catalytic performance of Cs-substituted phosphomolybdic salts was studied for selective oxidation of isobutane. The results of activity tests revealed that 360 °C was the optimal reaction temperature. It was demonstrated that oxidizing sites not only took dominating part in the activation of isobutane, but also influenced the product distribution. Besides, appropriate Cs addition led to moderate acidity of catalysts, favoring the selectivity to desired products. Furthermore, to obtain partially reduced catalysts, different calcination atmospheres were investigated and certain proportion of Mo^（5＋） produced during calcination was crucial for the redox reaction. The catalyst calcined in N2 showed the highest yield of MAA（7.0%）. Fe-substitution enhanced the activity of catalysts by rapid reoxidation of Mo^（5＋）.

MCM-36 zeolites tailored with acidic ionic liquid to regulate adsorption properties of isobutane and 1-butene

Adsorption properties of an adsorbent or a catalyst towards adsorbates are crucial in the process of adsorption separation or catalytic reaction. Surface morphology and structure of adsorbents have a significant impact on the adsorption properties. In this study, a novel acidic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-(triethoxysilylpropyl)imidazolium hydrogen sulfate(i.e., [BTPIm][HSO_4]), was synthesized and subsequently grafted onto the MCM-36 zeolite for the regulation of its adsorption properties towards isobutane and 1-butene. The resultant [BTPIm][HSO_4]-immobilized MCM-36(i.e., MCM-36-IL) was characterized by FT-IR, XPS, XRD, SEM, TG/DTG and N_2 adsorption–desorption measurement. It was found that the specific surface area, micropore volume and mesopore volume of the MCM-36 support underwent a reduction upon the immobilization of ionic liquid,while the surface density of acid increased from 0.0014 to 0.0035 mmol·m^(-2). The adsorption capacity of isobutane and 1-butene on the MCM-36-IL was determined by a static volumetric method. Results demonstrated that the interaction between isobutane and MCM-36-IL was enhanced and the interaction between 1-butene and MCM-36-IL was reduced. As a result, a tunable adsorption ratio of isobutane/1-butene on MCM-36 was achieved.With the increase in surface density of acid and the tunable adsorption ratio of isobutane and 1-butene on the functionalized MCM-36, the acidic ionic liquid-immobilized zeolites are beneficial to obtain an improved reaction yield and a prolonged catalyst life in the reactions catalyzed by solid acid.

Novel Pt-Ni Bimetallic Catalysts Pt(Ni)-LaFeO_3/SiO_2 via Lattice Atomic-Confined Reduction for Highly Efficient Isobutane Dehydrogenation

In this study, a series of novel Pt-Ni bimetallic catalysts supported on LaFeO_3/SiO_2 with different amounts of Ni were prepared by the lattice atomic-confined reduction of LaFe_(1-x)(Ni, Pt)_xO_3/SiO_2 perovskite precursors and applied in isobutane dehydrogenation to isobutene reaction. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, H_2-temperature-programmed reduction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, CO chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The as-synthesized Pt-Ni bimetallic catalysts possessed smaller most probable particle size with tunable Pt-Ni interaction, depending on the Ni content. The catalyst with Ni content of 3.0 wt% showed excellent activity and stability(the isobutane conversion and isobutene selectivity remained at about 38% and 92%, respectively, after 310 min) for the isobutane dehydrogenation reaction. It also provided approximately six times turnover frequency of the catalyst without Ni. The excellent activity and stability of the 3.0 wt% Ni-containing catalyst can be attributed to its small metal nanoparticles with high dispersion and suitable Pt-Ni interaction. Moreover, the Pt(Ni)-LaFeO_3/SiO_2 catalyst with Ni content of 3.0 wt% had been run for more than 35 h without obvious loss of activity,indicating its long-term stability, and the decrease in the Pt-Ni interaction that accompanied the formation of the FeNi alloy phase was thought to be responsible for the slight decrease in activity.

Experiment and Modeling of Pure and Binary Adsorption of n-Butane and Butene-1 on ZSM-5 Zeolites with Different Si/Al Ratios

Four ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts with different Si/Al ratios for the catalytic cracking of C4 fractions to produce ethylene and propylene were prepared in this study.First,the adsorption isotherms of pure n-butane and butene-1 and their mixtures on these catalysts at 300K and p=0—100kPa were measured using the intelligent gra- vimetric analyzer.The experimental results indicate that the presence of Al can significantly affect the adsorption of butene-1 than that of n-butane on ZSM-5 zeolites.Then,the double Langmuir(DL)model was applied to study the pure gas adsorption on ZSM-5 zeolites for pure n-butane and butene-1.By combining the DL model with the ideal adsorbed solution theory(IAST),the IAST-DL model was applied to model the butene-1(1)/n-butane(2)binary mixture adsorption on ZSM-5 zeolites with different Si/Al ratios.The calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data,indicating that the IAST-DL model is effective for the present systems.Finally,the adsorp- tion over a wide range of variables was predicted at low pressure and 300K by the model proposed.It is found that the selectivity of butene-1 over n-butane increases linearly with the decrease of Si/Al ratio.A correlation between the selectivity and Si/Al ratio of the sample was proposed at 300K and p=0.08MPa.

Effect of Cr and Co Promoters Addition on Vanadium Phosphate Catalysts for Mild Oxidation of n-Butane

In this study, Cr and Co promoted, as well as unpromoted vanadium phosphate （VPO） catalysts were synthesized by the reaction of V2O5 and o-H3PO4 in organic medium followed by calcination in n-butane/air environment at 673 K. The physico-chemical properties and the catalytic behavior were affected by the addition of Cr and Co dopants. H2-TPR was used to investigate the nature of oxidants in the unpromoted and promoted catalysts. The results showed that both the Cr and Co promoters remarkably lowered the temperature of the reduction peak associated with V^5＋. The amount of oxygen species originated from the active phase, V^4＋, removed was significantly increased for Co and Cr-promoted catalysts. Both Cr and Co dopants improve strongly the n-butane conversion without sacrificing the MA selectivity. A good correlation was observed between the amount of oxygen species removed from V^4＋ phase and the activity for n-butane oxidation to maleic anhydride. This suggested that V^4＋-O was the center for the activation of n-butane.

Optimal operating conditions of radial flow moving-bed reactors for isobutane dehydrogenation

In this study, radial flow moving bed reactors for isobutane dehydrogenation have been modeled and simulated heterogeneously based on mass and energy conservation laws. The considered reaction networks in the model are isobutene dehydrogenation as main reaction, and hydrogenolysis, propane dehydrogenation as well as coke formation as side reactions that all occur on the catalyst surface. Then, the process condition has been optimized to produce more isobutene under steady state condition. To prove the accuracy of the considered mathematical model and assumptions, simulation results are compared with the plant data. As a powerful method in the global optimization, the genetic algorithm has been used to optimize the considered objective function. The isobutane conversion and isobutene selectivity under optimal conditions are about 40.1% and 91%, respectively.

Comparative catalytic study on butene/isobutane alkylation over LaX and CeX zeolites: The influence of calcination atmosphere

Lanthanum-containing(LaX)and cerium-containing X zeolites(CeX)were prepared by a doubleexchange,double-calcination method.By changing the calcination atmospheres between nitrogen and air,the Ce^(IV) contents in CeX zeolites were adjusted and their impacts on physicochemical properties and catalytic performance in isobutane alkylation were established.The crystallinity of CeX zeolite was found to be negatively correlated with the Ce^(IV) content.This i s believed to be due to the water formed during the oxidation of Ce^(III),which facilitates the framework dealumination.As a consequence,calcining in air resulted in a great elimination of strong Brønsted acid sites while under nitrogen protection,this phenomenon was mostly hindered and the sample’s acidity was preserved.When tested in a continuously flowed slurry reactor,the catalyst lifetime for isobutane alkylation was found to be linearly related to the strong Brønsted acid concentration.In addition,Ce^(3+)was found more benefit for the hydride transfer compared with La^(3+),which is ascribed to the stronger polarization effect on the CH bond of isobutane.Moreover,the decline of hydride transfer activity can be slowed down by the catalytic cracking of the bulky molecules.Based on the product distribution,a new catalytic cycle of dimethylhexanes(DMHs)involving a direct formation of isobutene rather than tert-butyl carbocation was proposed in isobutane alkylation.

Research progress in ionic liquids catalyzed isobutane/butene alkylation

The complicated reaction mechanism and the character of competitive reactions lead to a stringent requirement for the catalyst of C_4 alkylation process. Due to their unique properties, ionic liquids(ILs) are thought to be new potential acid catalysts for C_4 alkylation. An analysis of the regular and modified chloroaluminate ILs, novel Br?nsted ILs and composite ILs used in isobutane/butene alkylation shows that the use of either ILs or ILs coupled with mineral acid as homogeneous catalysts can help to greatly adjust the acid strength. By modifying the structural parameters of the cations and anions of the ILs, the solubility of the reactants could also be adjusted, which in turn displays a positive effect on improving the activity of ILs. Immobilization of ILs is an effective way to modulate the surface adsorption/desorption properties and acid strength distribution of the solid acid catalysts. Such a process has a tremendous potential to reduce the deactivation of catalyst and enhance the activity of the solid acid catalyst. The development of novel acid catalysts for C_4 alkylation is a comprehensive consideration of acid strength and its distribution, interfacial properties and transport characteristics.

Effects of Calcination Temperature on the Acidity and Catalytic Performances of HZSM-5 Zeolite Catalysts for the Catalytic Cracking of n-Butane

The acidic modulations of a series of HZSM-5 catalysts were successfully made by calcination at different treatment temperatures, i.e. 500, 600, 650, 700 and 800 ℃, respectively. The results indicated that the total acid amounts, their density and the amount of B-type acid of HZSM-5 catalysts rapidly decreased, while the amounts of L-type acid had almost no change and thus the ratio of L/B was obviously enhanced with the increase of calcination temperature （excluding 800 ℃）. The catalytic performances of modified HZSM-5 catalysts for the cracking of n-butane were also investigated. The main properties of these catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, N2 adsorption at low temperature, NH3-TPD, FTIR of pyridine adsorption and BET surface area measurements. The results showed that HZSM-5 zeolite pretreated at 800 ℃ had very low catalytic activity for n-butane cracking. In the calcination temperature range of 500-700 ℃, the total selectivity to olefins, propylene and butene were increased with the increase of calcination temperature, while, the selectivity for arene decreased with the calcination temperature. The HZSM-5 zeolite calcined at 700 ℃ produced light olefins with high yield, at the reaction temperature of 650 ℃ the yields of total olefins and ethylene were 52.8% and 29.4%, respectively. Besides, the more important role is that high calcination temperature treatment improved the duration stability of HZSM-5 zeolites. The effect of calcination temperature on the physico-chemical properties and catalytic performance of HZSM-5 for cracking of n-butane was explored. It was found that the calcination temperature had large effects on the surface area, crystallinity and acid properties of HZSM-5 catalyst, which further affected the catalytic performance for n-butane cracking.