Patent ID: 8524630

Claim:
A method for making a mesoporous alumina composition comprising, in addition to aluminum (Al), at least one rare earth element (RE) and phosphorus (P), said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a reaction mixture comprising a source of at least one rare earth element, a source of aluminum, a source of phosphorus, and a mesopore templating agent in a liquid medium; (b) maintaining said reaction mixture of step (a) under conditions sufficient to precipitate said sources of rare earth element, aluminum, phosphorus and said mesopore templating agent to form an as-synthesized form of said mesoporous alumina composition comprising residual mesopore templating agent within pores of said mesoporous oxide composition; (c) separating said liquid from the as-synthesized form of said mesoporous alumina composition obtained in step (b); (d) optionally, removing at least a portion said mesopore templating agent from said as-synthesized form of said mesoporous alumina composition of step (c) by solvent extraction; and (e) calcining said as-synthesized form of said mesoporous alumina composition of step (c) or step (d) under calcination conditions to form a calcined form of said mesoporous alumina composition, wherein said calcination conditions are sufficient to remove any residual mesopore templating agent and to cause condensation reactions with hydroxyl groups to liberate H 2 O; wherein a molar ratio of Al:P:RE in said reaction mixture of step (a) is 5-10:1:0.5-1, and wherein said calcined form of said mesoporous alumina composition of step (e) has an average pore size of from 45 Angstroms to 80 Angstroms, and a surface area of 150 to 300 m 2 /g.