Hydroconversion of n -Heptaneover Bifunctional Pt–Ti–MSU/Al–Ti–MSU Catalysts in a Micro Reactor

Cracking and isomerization of n-alkanes, employing bifunctional catalysts, are vital reactions in various refinery processes for producing different high-quality fuels. These catalysts consist of a specific metal component and a specific acid function. The metal component is used for dehydrogenation and hydrogenation constituted from a specific noble metal such as palladium and platinum. The acid function, on the other hand, is used for cracking and isomerization aims. In this work, a number of mesoporous catalysts with different ratios of Si/Ti based on MSU containing Platinum were synthesized and characterized with XRF, XRD, NH3–TPD, and BET tests. These catalysts were applied in n-heptane hydroconversion process in a fixed bed microreactor to see their performance in an actual process. In the microreactor, the pressure was constant (atmospheric), and the temperature varies in the range of 250–600°C. The performance of each of the catalysts was investigated in different ratios of hydrogen to hydrocarbon (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25) and in two values of Weight Hour Space Velocity (WHSV) (1.5 and 2.5 h–1). Products analysis carried out to check out the activity and selectivity of each of the catalysts. The result showed that all samples have a high surface area, favorable pore distribution, and high acidity. The outcome of the study showed that the CAT-D catalyst has the highest activity for normal heptane conversion. This catalyst also has the highest selectivity for isomerization products at moderate temperatures (350°C) and WHSV = 1.5 h–1.