Isomerization of C5-C7 paraffins over a Pt/WO3-ZrO2 catalyst using industrial feedstock

Much research has been published on the isomerization of C-5-C-7 paraffins using Pt/WO3-ZrO2 (PtWZr) catalysts. However, to our knowledge, most of these researchers only used model feedstocks. Therefore, we tested the activity of a Pt/WO3-ZrO2 catalyst using real raw materials (a mixture of n-hexane + i-hexanes or an industrial feedstock) for the industrial production of high-quality gasoline. A reliable method was developed to study the activity of a PtWZr sample with w(WO3) = 12 % and w(Pt) = 0.25 %. The catalyst was tested in a continuous flow reactor connected to a gas chromatograph and two sample collectors. Tests were carried out under different conditions to optimize the reaction at 250 and 300 A degrees C. The results were analyzed to determine the product composition and to calculate the final equivalent research octane number. While a high conversion rate was achieved using the model reactant, the yield decreased significantly when more real raw materials were used. Therefore, our results suggest that real feedstock should be used to determine whether a catalyst has sufficient activity for the isomerization of C-5-C-7 paraffins in industrial applications.