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Mechanism of hydrodenitrogenation (Part 5) x-ray diffraction of molybdenum catalysts

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5673083

Efficient nitrogen removal from heterocyclic aromatics in liquid fuels calls for the development of catalysts with better HDN activity than is available with the traditional HDS catalysts. In this project it is proposed that the selectivity of the HDN reaction can be affected by an alteration of the catalyst acidity since it is possible that an acidic Hofmann-like deamination pathway is operative in parallel with the hydrogenolysis of saturated C--N--C bonds. To understand better the role of acidic sites in the presence of hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis sites, molybdena was supported on a series of acidic aluminas, and the resulting new acidity and molybdic phases were characterized. X-ray diffraction was utilized to determine the nature of the supported phases of Mo over silica, alumina and silica-aluminas. After impregnation and calcination, the oxidic molybdena formed dispersed species (probably of the dioxo type) over gamma-alumina, and dispersed agglomerates of MoO{sub 3} over silica. However, on silica-alumina, molybdate was found to interact so strongly with the aluminum cations that it formed Al{sub 2}(MoO{sub 4}){sub 3}, possibly by corrosive chemisorption during impregnation, or by Al diffusion into molybdena during calcination. After a treatment of education of reduction with hydrogen at 500{degrees}C, highly dispersed Mo species are formed. These species are x-ray amorphous. Having been derived from different precursors, those species have different reducibility and acidity for different support compositions. 8 refs., 4 figs.

Research Organization:
Louisville Univ., KY (USA). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
FG22-89PC89771
OSTI ID:
5673083
Report Number(s):
DOE/PC/89771-5; ON: DE91013853
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English