Catalyst and support, their methods of preparation, and processes employing same

A method for preparing a catalytic composition, which method comprises forming a composite comprising two or more inorganic oxides into a shaped catalyst support material having a selected shape and at least 0.8 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 0 nm (0 A) to 120 nm (1,200 A) and at least 0.1 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 120 nm (1,200 A) to 5,000 nm (50,000 A), heating said shaped catalyst support material in the presence of steam at sufficient elevated temperature, steam pressure, and time period to increase the average pore diameter of said shaped catalyst support material in the absence of any appreciable reduction in pore volume so as to provide a steam-treated support material having an average pore diameter of at least 18 nm (180 A) and a surface area below 200 m.sup.2 /gm, and subsequently impregnating said steam-treated support material with at least one hydrogenating metal.

A catalyst support which comprises two or more inorganic oxides and which is prepared by forming a composite comprising said two or more inorganic oxides into a shaped catalyst support material having a selected shape and at least 0.8 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 0 nm (0 A) to 120 nm (1,200 A) and at least 0.1 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 120 nm (1,200 A) to 5,000 nm (50,000 A) and heating said shaped catalyst support material in the presence of steam at sufficient elevated temperature, steam pressure, and time period to increase the average pore diameter of said shaped catalyst support material in the absence of any appreciable reduction in pore volume so as to provide a catalyst support material having an average pore diameter of at least 18 nm (180 A) and a surface area below 200 m.sup.2 /gm.

A catalyst which comprises a hydrogenating component comprising at least one hydrogenating metal and a large-pore, high-surface area support comprising two or more inorganic oxides, said at least one hydrogenating metal being present in the elemental form, as the oxide, as the sulfide, or mixtures thereof, said catalyst having been prepared by forming a composite comprising said two or more inorganic oxides into a shaped catalyst support material having a selected shape and at least 0.8 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 0 nm (0 A) to 120 nm (1,200 A) and at least 0.1 cc/gm of its pore volume in pores having diameters of 120 nm (1,200 A) to 5,000 nm (50,000 A), heating said shaped catalyst support material in the presence of steam at sufficient elevated temperature, steam pressure, and time period to increase the average pore diameter of said shaped catalyst support material in the absence of any appreciable reduction in pore volume so as to provide a steam-treated support material having an average pore diameter of at least 18 nm (180 A) and a surface area below 200 m.sup.2 /gm, and subsequently impregnating said steam-treated support material with said at least one hydrogenating metal.

A method for preparing a catalyst support from a composite comprising two or more inorganic oxides, which method comprises forming the composite comprising two or more inorganic oxides into a shaped catalyst support material having a selected shape, a bimodal distribution of pore sizes, and a total pore volume that is at least 0.8 cc/gm and heating said shaped catalyst support material in the presence of steam at sufficient elevated temperature, steam pressure, and time period to increase the average pore diameter of said shaped catalyst support material in the absence of any appreciable reduction in pore volume so as to provide a catalyst support material having an average pore diameter of at least 18 nm (180 A) and a surface area below 200 m.sup.2 /gm.

A catalyst support comprising two or more inorganic oxides and having a selected shape, a total pore volume that is at least 0.8 cc/gm, and a bimodal distribution of pore sizes, said catalyst support having been prepared by forming a composite comprising said two or more inorganic oxides into a shaped catalyst support material having said selected shape, said total pore volume, and said bimodal distribution of pore sizes and heating said shaped catalyst support material in the presence of steam at sufficient elevated temperature, steam pressure, and time period to increase the average pore diameter of said shaped catalyst support material in the absence of any appreciable reduction in pore volume so as to provide a catalyst support material having an average pore diameter of at least 18 nm (180 A) and a surface area below 200 m.sup.2 /gm.