Coupled hydrogenation and ring opening of tetralin on potassium modified Pt/USY catalysts

Coupled hydrogenation and ring opening of tetralin (THN) on Pt/USY catalyst were performed on a high-pressure fixed-bed reactor. The effect of reaction temperature in range of 100–300 °C and the nature of the catalyst (metal and acid sites) on the catalytic performance were studied. The results indicated that the extent of hydrocracking, a sequential reaction of ring opening, should be reduced in order to maintain high yields of the ring opening products (ROP). Introduction of the Pt component accelerated the hydrogenation and ring opening of the THN significantly. It was also found to be an effective way to optimize the acid properties of the catalysts by introducing an appropriate amount of potassium to the catalyst, such that the strong acid sites of the catalysts were diminished, and a higher ROP yield could be obtained as a result of the inhibiting of the hydrocracking activity of the catalyst. When the yield of the C10 fractions could be maintained at 90 wt.%, then a maximal ROP yield of 35.6 wt.% could be obtained on a 0.5 wt.% Pt/USY catalyst loaded with 2.0 wt.% of K.