n-Decane hydro-conversion over bi- and tri-metallic Al-HMS catalyst in a mini-reactor

Bi-metallic (Pt-Sn and Sn-Ni) and tri-metallic (Pt-Sn-Ni) catalysts, supported on Al-containing hexagonal mesoporous silica (Al-HMS) (Si/Al = 20) materials, were synthesized. N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) test, and temperature programed desorption (NH3-TPD) were used to characterize physicochemical characteristics and textural properties of the Al-HMS catalysts. Catalytic performances on hydro-cracking of n-decane at different reaction conditions were studied in a micro-reactor. Comparison between Pt-Sn, Sn-Ni and Pt-Sn-Ni catalyst under different hydro-cracking conditions was made. The experimental results indicate that the proper balance between the acid and metal functions is the key in synthesizing a catalyst with a better performance in hydro-cracking. Tri-metallic catalyst exhibits the best catalytic performance in n-decane hydro-cracking than two bi-metallic catalysts.