TITLE: Low severity upgrading of F-T waxes with solid superacids.  Quarterly report, 1 June 1994--31 August 1994.

AUTHOR: J. W. Tierney;   I. Wender.

INST.  AUTHOR: Pittsburgh Univ., PA. Dept. of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  1994,  9p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE95001946INW

ABSTRACT:

After the authors discovered that aromatics and especially naphthenes can be alkylated by long-chain paraffins, they used short chain paraffins and found they could alkylate aromatics with ethane and ethylene under the same conditions (160 C and 350 psig of H(sub 2)). The hydrocracking of alkylphenolics and alkylaromatics was studied using the same catalyst. It appears that phenolic-OH groups inhibit activity of Pt/ZrO(sub 2)/SO(sub 4) catalyst in alkylation with paraffins. However, a paraffinic side chain attached to the phenol reduces the inhibiting effect of phenolic -OH groups. In situ FT-IR analysis indicated that the presence of phenolic -OH groups affects the ratio of Bronsted to Lewis acid sites. The results suggest that the nature of the aromatic can control the distribution of products obtained in the alkylation of aromatics with alkanes. Results are discussed for the alkylation of aromatics with ethane and ethylene and for hydrocracking of alkylaromatics and alkylphenolics.

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/91304-T11

CONTRACT  NUMBER: FG22-91PC91304