Cobalt-molybdenum Co-Mo

In summary, fixed-bed processes have advantages in ease of scaleup and operation. The reactors operate in a downflow mode, with liquid feed trickling downward over the solid catalyst concurrent with the hydrogen gas. The usual catalyst is cobalt/molybdenum (Co/Mo) or nickel/molybdenum (Ni/Mo) on alumina (A1203) and contain 11-14% molybdenum and 2-3% of the promoter nickel or cobalt. The alumina typically has a pore volume of 0.5 ml/g. The catalyst is formed into pellets by extrusion, in shapes such as cylinders (ca. 2 mm diameter), lobed cylinders, or rings. 

Authentic and synthetic solvent-refined coal filtrates were processed upflow in hydrogen over three different commercially available catalysts. Residual (>850°F bp) solvent-refined coal versions up to 46 wt % were observed under typical hydrotreating conditions on authentic filtrate over a cobalt-molybdenum (Co-Mo) catalyst. A synthetic filtrate comprised of creosote oil containing 52 wt % Tacoma solvent-refined coals was used for evaluating nickel-molybdenum and nickel-tungsten catalysts. Nickel-molybdenum on alumina catalyst converted more 850°F- - solvent-refined coals, consumed less hydrogen, and produced a better product distribution than nickel-tungsten on silica alumina. Net solvent make was observed from both catalysts on synthetic filtrate whereas a solvent loss was observed when authentic filtrate was hydroprocessed. Products were characterized by a number of analytical methods. 

Physical Properties of Coked Catalysts. Surface areas for a series of Shell 244 (cobalt-molybdenum (Co-Mo) on alumina) catalysts varying from 0 to 22% coke were determined. The surface area is inversely proportional to coke deposition as shown in Figure 3. The catalysts with 10% coke deposit lose approximately 20% of their original surface areas. 

H = hydrogen N = nitrogen No = sodium P = phosphorus K = potassium Cr = chromium Co = cobalt Zn = zinc Mo = molybdenum... 

The sulfidation mechanisms of cobalt- or nickel-promoted molybdenum catalysts are not yet known in the same detail as that of M0O3, but are not expected to be much different, as TPS patterns of Co-Mo/A1203 and Mo/Al203 are rather similar [56J. However, interactions of the promoter elements with the alumina support play an important role in the ease with which Ni and Co convert to the sulfidic state. We come back to this after we have discussed the active phase for the hydrodesulfurization reaction in more detail. 

Cobalt-molybdenum catalysts are in general much more active for HDS than single molybdenum catalysts. Thus, it is essential to investigate the state of cobalt in the sulfided Co-Mo/Al203 catalyst. 

In order to draw a crystallographic picture of the Co-Mo-S phase, we need precise data on the location of the cobalt atom with respect to the molybdenum and the sulfur atoms. For this, EXAFS is the indicated technique. 

The data analysis in Table 9.3 summarizes the crystallographic information of the Co-Mo-S phase active for hydrodesulfurization. The Co-S distance in Co-Mo-S is 0.22 nm, with a high sulfur coordination of 6.2 1.3. Each cobalt has on average 1.7 0.35 molybdenum neighbors at a distance of 0.28 nm. Based on these distances and coordination numbers one can test structure models for the CoMoS phase. The data are in full agreement with a structure in which cobalt is on the edge of a MoS2 particle, in the same plane as molybdenum. 

The exact positions of cobalt and sulfur on the edge are still under debate. Bouwens et al. [67,76] proposed cobalt to be on a site where it is coordinated to four sulfur atoms on the edge, which are slightly displaced from their bulk positions. The cobalt is not exactly on the site where a molybdenum atom would be if the MoS2 lattice were continued (in which case the Co-Mo distance should be 0.316 nm), but somewhat displaced towards the MoS2 particle (Co-Mo distance of 0.28 nm). The total sulfur coordination of six is achieved when two... 

Mossbauer Measurements. Co-Mo catalysts cannot be studied directly in absorption experiments since neither cobalt nor molybdenum has suitable Mossbauer isotopes. However, by doping with 57Co the catalysts can be studied by carrying out Mossbauer emission spectroscopy (MES) experiments. In this case information about the cobalt atoms is obtained by studying the 57Fe atoms produced by the decay of 57Co. The possibilities and limitations on the use of the MES technique for the study of Co-Mo catalysts have recently been discussed (8., 25.). 

The Co/Mo = 0.125 catalyst has all the cobalt atoms present as Co-Mo-S and, therefore, the EXAFS studies of this catalyst can give information about the molybdenum atoms in the Co-Mo-S structure. The Fourier transform (Figure 2c) of the Mo EXAFS of the above catalyst shows the presence of two distinct backscatterer peaks. A fit of the Fourier filtered EXAFS data using the phase and amplitude functions obtained for well-crystallized MoS2 shows (Table II) that the Mo-S and Mo-Mo bond lengths in the catalyst are identical (within 0.01 A) to those present in MoS2 (R =... 

In 1959, H. Beuther et al. (8) of Gulf Oil Company published the first systematic study of the HDS activity of CoMo and NiMo supported on alumina as a function of the atomic ratio Co(Ni)/Mo. As a result, they showed what they called a promoter effect of the cobalt (or nickel) on the molybdenum for atomic ratios Co/Mo = 0.3 and Ni/Mo = 0.6. This publication was preceded by several patents proposing similar atomic ratios for cobalt by Union Oil of California (1948) (9) and Shell Oil Company (1954) (10) and for nickel by Union Oil of California (1954)(/7). Figure 1 shows a typical activity curve of NiMo/Al203 catalysts as a function of the value of the atomic ratio Ni/Mo (12). 

The first research group to propose a description of the structure of CoMo catalysts was led by Schuit and Gates (13). This group introduced the so-called monolayer model directly derived from the physical studies of CoMo oxide precursors supported on y-alumina carried out by J. T. Richardson (14) (Richardson first proposed the existence of a special Co/Mo entity.) In this model the upper or first layer contained only sulfur atoms, each bonded to a molybdenum atom of the second layer (below the first one), these molybdenum atoms being bonded to two oxygen atoms also located in this second layer. When a sulfur atom was removed by reduction (H2 flow) of Mo5+ to Mo3+, a vacancy was formed at the surface and became the preferential adsorption site of a sulfur atom in the organic gas phase. The presence of cobalt incorporated into underlying layers of the alumina... 

Impregnation of cobalt and molybdenum (without sodium) increases largely the isomerizing activity of the catalyst the /3-pinene is then completely converted. The catalysts prepared with sodium molybdate and sodium hydroxide (Co-Mo-Na and Na-Co-Mo-Na) have lower isomerizing activities while their HDS activities are significantly increased. As in the case of alumina supported catalysts the sulfided CoMo phase protected by a double layer of alkaline ions on the carbon support gives the best results in HDS of /3-pinene. The behaviour of this catalyst was examined in desulfurization of the turpentine oil (40% a-pinene, 25% /3-pinene, 25% A -carene and 10% camphene + dipentene + myrcene, 1500 ppm S). The results are recorded in Table 6. 

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