Patent GB-844243-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to catalysts and catalytic conversion processes
Inventor: TURNER ROY
IPC: B01J23/85
Filed: 1956-02-03
Abstract: Unsaturated hydrocarbons are polymerised by passage in the vapour phase at elevated temperature over a catalyst (see Group III) prepared by depositing iron cobalt or nickel on an amphoteric oxide of high surface area in two stages with intermediate roasting at above 650 DEG C.  Suitable hydrocarbons are ethylene, propylene, butene-1 and -2 and higher mono-olefins, butadiene and other di-olefins and styrene and other ethylemically unsaturated aryl alkyl hydrocarbons.  According to the Provisional Specification the second deposition of metal is optional.ALSO:Substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbon conversion processes are effected in the presence of a catalyst (see Group III), prepared by depositing iron, cobalt or nickel on a high surface area amphoteric oxide in two stages with intermediate roasting at above 650 DEG C.  Such processes take place in the vapour phase at elevated temperature with or without added hydrogen.  Processes mentioned are the dealkylation of alkyl aromatics, e.g. toluene, the xylenes, cumene, mesitylene, pseudo-cumene and diethylbenzene, at 250 to 500 DEG C. and up to 200 p.s.i.g.; and the hydrogenation of unsaturated compounds, e.g. ethylene, propylene, butenes, butadienes, pentenes, hexenes, di-isobutylene, propylene dimer and trimer, benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, cumene, pseudo-cumene, mesitylene, diphenyl, naphthalene, unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic and linoleic, unsaturated alcohols and unsaturated esters, at 150 to 400 DEG C. and up to 1000 p.s.i.g. Examples describe the demethylation of toluene and the hydrogenation of benzene and n-octene.  According to the Provisional Specification the second deposition of metal is optional.ALSO:Catalysts are prepared by (i) depositing nickel, cobalt or iron, in elemental or combined form on an amphoteric oxide in a form having a surface area greater than 10 sq. m./g., or a form capable of conversion thereto by heat; (ii) roasting at a temperature above 650 DEG C. to form a "catalyst base"; and (iii) depositing nickel cobalt or iron, in elemental or combined form, on the "catalyst base".  The amphoteric oxide may be alumina in the form of a wet or dry gel, in which case the roasting should not be sufficient to convert it to alpha alumina.  The metal may be deposited in steps (i) and (iii) by impregnation with an aqueous solution of a salt, e.g. a nitrate, formate or acetate, which is decomposed to the oxide by heat.  After stage (iii) the catalyst may be roasted at 350 to 650 DEG C. for 1 to 10 hours and reduced with hydrogen at 330 to 600 DEG C. for 2 to 48 hours. Examples describe the preparation of "catalyst bases" containing each of the metals and catalysts comprising nickel on nickelalumina, cobalt on cobalt-alumina, nickel oxide on cobalt oxide-alumina, nickel oxide on iron oxide-alumina and iron oxide on nickel oxide-alumina.  The catalyst may be used for cracking, hydrogenating and polymerizing substituted and unsubstituted hydrocarbons (see Groups IV(a) and IV(b)).  According to the Provisional Specification the "catalyst base" obtained in step (ii) may be itself used as a catalyst and any catalytically-active amphoteric oxide may be used as the carrier.