Design of New Composites Nano-Catalysts for Naphtha Reforming Process: Experiments and Process Modeling

Abstract

The naphtha catalytic reforming process is evaluated by designing new composite nano-catalysts. Three catalysts were prepared for this process. The first catalyst was molybdenum carbide composite with platinum over HY zeolite (Mo2C.Pt/HY zeolite), the second catalyst was molybdenum carbide composite with platinum over modified zeolite by cerium nitrate (Mo2C.Pt/CeY zeolite), and the last catalyst was bimetallic titanium and platinum with a titanium content of 1% and platinum content of 0.11% over HY zeolite (Pt.Ti/HY zeolite). All catalysts were tested with several tests, mainly X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, and pore volume. All these substances were applied as catalysts for the reforming process of Iraqi heavy naphtha at the following operating conditions: reaction temperature (480, 500, and 520 ), reaction pressure (10, 12.5, and 15 bar), liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) at 2 hr-1, and constant hydrogen to hydrocarbon ratio (H2/ HC) of 4. All the reforming reactions occurred in a packed bed pilot plant reactor to investigate its stability and activity during the reforming process. All the developed catalyst samples showed sensational stability even at operating under difficult circumstances. The best catalyst was Pt.Ti/HY zeolite based on the results obtained with respect to the octane number (86.2) at 520 and 15 bar. Also, a mathematical model to describe the reforming process with high accuracy was built and simulated using gPROMS software. The results were very satisfying since the most significant error with the wt% of reformate was 4.9% (the experimental aromatics content was 23.94 wt.%, while the predicted result was 21.67 wt.%), while Research Octane Number (RON) error was 4.7% (the experimental RON was 81, whereas the predicted value of RON was 85) among all the results meaning that the simulating was valid to describe the process.

Design of Nano-Catalyst for Removal of Phenolic Compounds from Wastewater by Oxidation Using Modified Digital Basket Baffle Batch Reactor: Experiments and Modeling

“…Because water is a scarce commodity around the globe, it is essential to remove toxic contaminants such as phenol from wastewater to reclaim and reuse wastewater. Several techniques have been adopted in recent years to remove phenol or phenolic compounds from wastewater [6].…”

“…Also, low volatilities and readily formed azeotropes and eutectics are important characterizations for these compounds [5]. Therefore, conventional treatment techniques, such as physical and biological methods, have difficulty treating phenol and its derivatives efficiently [1,6]. The catalytic oxidation processes utilizing oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), or the combination of them Processes 2023, 11,1990 2 of 17 proved to be a highly efficient process in the elimination of phenolic compounds [7].…”