Preparation, characterization and catalytic performance of novel macroporous catalysts for heavy oil hydrogenation

Macroporous Al₂O₃ was prepared through mixing Al₂O₃ sol with polystyrene(PS) microspheres, drying the suspension, calcining them to remove the PS template. The prepared Al₂O₃ supports were characterized by N₂ adsorptiondesorption method and SEM. Macroporous Co-Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnating Co-Mo onto the Al₂O₃ supports. It was shown that BET surface area and pore volume of the PS template-prepared Al₂O₃ were 41.5m²/g and 0.35cm³/g, which were higher than those of controller catalyst, respectively. The catalytic performance of the prepared catalysts was tested in a high-pressure micro fixed-bed reactor using heavy Dagang coking gas oil as feedstock. The desulfurization degree and denitrification degree of the prepared macroporous catalyst, prepared using PS microspheres as template, were 12% and 22%, which were higher than those of controller catalyst.