Light FCC gasoline olefin oligomerization over a magnetic NiSo₄/γ‐Al₂o₃ catalyst in a magnetically stabilized bed

Abstract

Abstract Magnetic NiSO 4 /γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalysts were prepared by impregnating NiSO 4 solutions onto the γ‐Al 2 O 3 support containing a magnetic material of Fe 3 O 4 . Characterization by XRD, NH 3 ‐TPD, and thermal analysis showed that the magnetic NiSO 4 /γ‐Al 2 O 3 catalyst with a nickel content of 7.0% by weight had a monolayer dispersion of NiSO 4 and the largest number of moderate strength acid sites, and a high specific saturation magnetization. The magnetic catalyst was evaluated for light FCC gasoline olefin oligomerization in both fixed‐bed and magnetically stabilized bed (MSB) reactors. Comparing with that in the fixed‐bed reactor, the optimal reaction temperature in the MSB lowered to 443 K, and its space velocity ranged broadly from 2.0 to 6.0 h −1 . The sulfur‐free diesel distillate produced by operation of the MSB for 100 h had higher cetane number and good low‐temperature flow property, which illuminates a promising application of the MSB to manufacture clean diesel fuels with high productivity and flexibility. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009