Enhancement of pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation over Zn- and Mo-promoted Ni/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

Alumina-supported nickel catalysts modified by Zn and/or Mo were prepared and characterized using several techniques (XRF, BET, XRD, XPS, and TPR). The effect of Zn and Mo on catalytic hydrogenation activity was evaluated in hydrogenation of pyrolysis gasoline (PyGas) using styrene conversion for monitoring the activity trend in a fixed-bed reactor under the following conditions: temperature of 70-120 degrees C, H-2:PyGas volume ratio of 200:1, pressure of 2.8 MPa, and volume space velocity of 3.0 h(-1). The promoted Ni-based catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of PyGas. The styrene conversion doubled after the introduction of Zn and Mo. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.