Impact of Al and Ti ions on the dispersion and performance of supported NiMo(W)/SBA-15 catalysts in the HDS and HYD reactions

The effect of the aluminum and titanium presence on the catalytic activity of the NiMo/SBA-15 and NiW/SBA-15 catalysts was evaluated in the hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and biphenyl hydrogenation. The samples were characterized by SP MAS Si-29 NMR, S-BET, XRD, chemisorption of H-2 and TPD-NH3. The Ti-containing samples showed higher catalytic performance in both hydroprocessing reactions, in comparison with the Al-containing samples. The presence of Ti ions enhanced the dispersion of the supported active components, and the dispersion of the active species was related to the acidity of the supports. Finally, the W based catalysts showed higher activity in the hydroprocessing reactions than the traditional Mo based catalysts. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.