The effect of sulfur compound on the hydrogenation of tetralin over a Pd–Pt/HDAY catalyst

A composite metal catalyst with a Pd/Pt of 4:1 and an H-form dealuminated Y zeolite support for the hydrogenation of tetralin was investigated. The materials were characterized by XRD, NH3-TPD, N2 adsorption, TPR and FTIR. The activity for the hydrogenation of tetralin was investigated with a high-pressure fixed-bed continuous-flow reactor operating at 4.0 MPa. The thiotolerance was tested with feeds containing 200 ppm sulfur in the form of 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene and thiophene, respectively. It was found that thiophene was more effective for deactivating the catalyst than the former one. The diffusion barrier of the pores for the sulfur compound is likely the major reason for the different deactivation rate of catalysts. The products other than decalins were mainly decalin isomers and ring-opened products. Selectivity of cracking products for the feed with thiophene was lower than that for the other feed, while that of ring-opened and ring-contracted products with the two feeds was similar.