Hydrotreating of light gas oil using a NiMo catalyst supported on activated carbon produced from fluid petroleum coke

doi:10.1007/s11705-014-1430-1

Front. Chem. Sci. Eng.

2014, Vol. 8

Issue (2) : 161-170 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-014-1430-1

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Hydrotreating of light gas oil using a NiMo catalyst supported on activated carbon produced from fluid petroleum coke

N. Rambabu¹,Sandeep Badoga¹,Kapil K. Soni¹,A.K. Dalai^1,^*(

),J. Adjaye²

1. Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratories, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5A9, Canada
2. Syncrude Edmonton Research Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6N 1H4, Canada

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Abstract

Nitric acid functionalized steam activated carbon (NAFSAC) was prepared from waste fluid petroleum coke (FPC) and used as a support material for the synthesis of a NiMo catalyst (2.5 wt-% Ni and 13 wt-% Mo). The catalyst was then used for the hydrotreatment of light gas oil. The support and catalysts were characterized by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) gas adsorption method, X-ray diffraction, H₂-temperature programmed reduction, NH₃-temperature programmed desorption, CO-chemisorption, mass spetrography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Boehm titration, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The SEM results showed that the carbon material retained a needle like structure after functionalization with HNO₃. The Boehm titration, FTIR, and BET results confirmed that the HNO₃ functionalized material had moderate acidity, surface functional groups, and mesoporosity respectively. The produced NAFSAC had an inert nature, exhibited the sink effect and few metal support interactions, and contained functional groups. All of which make it a suitable support material for the preparation of a NiMo hydrotreating catalyst. Hydrotreating activity studies of the NiMo/NAFSAC catalyst were carried out under industrial operating conditions in a laboratory trickle bed reactor using coker light gas oil as the feedstock. A parallel study was performed on the hydrotreating activity of NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ as a reference catalyst. The hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation activities of the NiMo/NAFSAC catalyst were 62% and 30%, respectively.

Keywords activated carbon fluid petroleum coke NiMo catalyst hydrotreating light gas oil

Corresponding Author(s): A.K. Dalai

Issue Date: 22 May 2014

Cite this article:

N. Rambabu,Sandeep Badoga,Kapil K. Soni, et al. Hydrotreating of light gas oil using a NiMo catalyst supported on activated carbon produced from fluid petroleum coke[J]. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2014, 8(2): 161-170.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/10.1007/s11705-014-1430-1
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/Y2014/V8/I2/161

Tab.1 BET surface areas, total pore volumes, and average pore diameters of RFC, SAC, NAFSAC and NiMo/NAFSAC catalyst.

Fig.1 N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms and BJH pore size distributions for (A) SAC, (B) NAFSAC, and (C) NiMo/NAFSAC catalyst.

Tab.2 Boehm titration results for RFC, SAC and NAFSAC

Fig.2 FTIR spectra of (A) NAFSAC and (B) SAC

Fig.3 Scanning electron micrographs of (A) RFC, (B) SAC and (C) NAFSAC. Scale for all SEM images: 10 µm

Fig.4 Wide angle XRD pattern for (A) NiMo/NAFSAC and (B) NAFSAC

Tab.3 CO uptake of the supported NiMo hydrotreating catalysts

Fig.5 TPR profile for (A) NiMo/NAFSAC and (B) NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts

Fig.6 NH₃-TPD profile for (A) NiMo/NAFSAC and (B) NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts

Tab.4 Characteristics of coker light gas oil derived from Athabasca bitumen

Fig.7 HDN and HDS activities of NiMo/NAFSAC and NiMo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts with KLGO at 370°C (catalyst= 5 cm³, P = 8.8 MPa, LHSV= 2 h^–1 and H₂/oil ratio= 600 (v/v))

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