Unexpected Support Effect in Hydrotreating: Evidence of a Metallic Character for ReS2/Al2O3 and ReS2/SiO2 Catalysts

• Published in: Catalysis letters Vol. 141; no. 7; pp. 987 - 995
• Main Authors: Sepulveda, C., Garcia, R., Escalona, N., Laurenti, D., Massin, L., Vrinat, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-07-2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical Sciences; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Environment and Society; Environmental Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Hydrodesulfurization; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Moisture content; Organometallic Chemistry; Physical Chemistry; Rhenium; Silicon dioxide; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Support effect; Rhenium sulfide; Hydrogenation; Hydrodesulfurization; Binary compound; Support; X ray; Silica; Supported catalyst; Stirred tank reactor; Characterization; Photoelectron spectrometry; Aluminium oxide; Hydrotreating; Reference; Transition element compounds; Transition metal; Molybdenum; High pressure; Heterogeneous catalysis; Impregnation; Silicon oxides; Nickel; Kinetics; Alumina; Catalyst
• ISSN: 1011-372X; 1572-879X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10562-011-0578-2

Rhenium sulfide based catalysts were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method over alumina and silica supports and evaluated for 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene hydrodesulfurization in a high-pressure stirred-tank reactor. The catalyst prepared over silica was about six times more active for hydrodesulfurization than the corresponding catalyst prepared over alumina and a NiMo/Al
2
O
3
industrial reference catalyst. This surprising and positive SiO
2
support effect was explained by a metallic character of the supported sulfide, which was demonstrated using a kinetic approach of competitive hydrogenations and by XPS characterization.
Graphical Abstract