Hydrocracking Activities and Changes in Activities of Molten Zinc Chloride Catalysts Supported on Activated Carbons

Abstract

The catalytic activities and the changes in activities of the molten zinc chloride supported on activated carbons were investigated for the hydrocracking of anthracene, Akabira coal extract, and petroleum vaccum distilled residual oils at temperatures from 350°C to 450°C under a hydrogen pressure of about 200 kg/cm' in the batch tests. The three kinds of the activated carbons used as a carrier resulted in high hydrocracking activities. The coconut CT activated carbon was the most activities. The coconut CT activated carbon was the most active and more effective than the silica-alumina tested previously (Table 3 and 4). The wt% ZnCl₂ -49 wt% CT molten salt catalyst also showed higher activities than both the carriers and the silica-alumina supported catalyst in the hydrocracking as well as hydrodesulfurization of the bituminous substances, which were effectively converted to the low boiling liquid fractions (Table 5). The catalytic activities did not decrease remarkably during the test reaction time (Table 6), but after the reaction the carrier had deposits with zinc and sulfur of high concentration or carbonaceous substances, causing a rapid decrease of the surface area. The molten salt catalyst supported on the CT activated carbon was concluded to be superior to the silica-alumina supported one, because the former was more active and might be more advantageous in the recovery and regeneration than the latter.