Resistance to Sulfur and Oxygenated Compounds of Supported Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru Catalysts

The poisoning resistance to sulfided and oxygenated compounds of some VIII Group PYGAS selective hydrogenation catalysts based on metals was assessed. Low content alumina supported Rh, Pd, Ru and Pt catalysts (0.35 wt%) were prepared from chlorided precursors. In the case of the palladium catalysts a nitrogenated precursor was also used. The catalysts were mainly assessed in the catalytic test of selective styrene hydrogenation in the presence or absence of known poisons. Model feedstocks spiked with thiophene, thiophane and tetrahydrofuran were used. The catalysts were further characterized by means of chemical analysis, XPS, TPR and chemisorption. The results indicate that chlorided precursors yield more sulfur resistant catalysts. The effect was attributed in part to the formation of oxychlorinated species, refractory to reduction, that leave the metal in an electron deficient state, thus inhibiting the formation of strong poison-metal bonds, the chloride species could also be a steric factor that can contribute to the sulfur resistance of the catalyst. Pd based catalyts had the highest activity and resistance to poisons of all the metals tested. This superior performance was attributed in part to the total occupancy of the 4d electronic levels of the Pd metal that was supposed to promote the rupture of the H(2) bond during the hydrogenation reaction.