Characterization of several generations of nimo hydroprocessing catalysts employed in the same hydrotreater

Abstract

This work details the chemical characterization of four NiMo/Al2O3 hydroprocessing generation catalysts (1979-1986, 1993-1998, 2003-2008 and 2008-2011) employed to perform hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of diesel fractions in the same hydrotreater of a Brazilian refinery. The basic differences are the quality of the feedstocks and the HDS experimental conditions. Samples were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, 13C CP-MAS NMR, elemental analysis, loss of volatiles, specific surface area and average pore volume. The amount and variety of foreign elements deposited on the catalyst increased in the most recent generations due to the higher amounts of impurities in the processed feedstocks. Coke became more aromatic and loss of textural properties was more prominent in these samples as expected from the more drastic HDS conditions and the quality of the crude diesel. On the other hand, loss of volatiles was lower due to the low carbon content, partial oxidation of sulfur to sulfate species and oxidation of some elements deposited on the catalyst. Coke tended to ignite as it became more aromatic. For this reason, leaching of decoked samples from the most recent generations by sulfuric acid presented very low yields due to the formation of refractory oxides that are insoluble in the leachant.