Catalytic Hydrogenation of Hydrocarbons for Gasoline Production

The persistent growth in the global population has accounted for the continuous increase in the use of gasoline-based automobile engines. Although the application of gasoline additives such as tetraethyl lead (TEL), oxygenates and metal carbonyls like methyl cyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MCT) has been considered suitable for gasoline quality upgrading, the numerous challenges that include environmental pollution and destruction to catalytic converters attributed to search for better valorisation options. The hydrogenation of hydrocarbon fractions from petroleum refining is a forefront issue recently adopted by refineries worldwide. The process involves the incorporation of suitable catalytic systems under hydrogen atmosphere to upgrade hydrocarbons into similar derivatives of better gasoline properties. The paper carefully tailored a series o f recently published literature on the various aspect of the hydrogen process with emphasis to catalyst design and testing, mechanisms, industrial perspective and challenges. Areas for further investigations were also discussed.