Conversion of propane and butane
AssigneeZeofuels Research (Proprietary) Limited
InventorsGraham J. Hutchings, Themistoclis Themistocleous, Richard G. Copperthwaite
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modified natural clinoptilolite, produced by treating a natural clinoptilolite with a suitable mineral acid or with a suitable alkali and then with a suitable mineral acid, is used as a catalyst in a process for the conversion of propane or butane to give a product containing at least 40% of ethene, propene or C.sub.4 hydrocarbons or a mixture thereof.
Claims7
A process for the conversion of propane to give a product containing at least 40% by weight ethene or C.sub.4 hydrocarbons or a mixture thereof in a reactor in the presence of a modified natural clinoptilolite catalyst produced by treating a natural clinoptilolite with either (1) a mineral acid at a concentration of greater than 1M for a treatment time of longer than 24 hours or (2) alkali at a concentration greater than 0.5M for a treatment time of longer than 1 hour, washing the resulting product, and treating the resulting product with a mineral acid at a concentration of greater than 0.1M for a treatment time of longer than 1 hour which includes the steps of:
- (a) feeding the propane to the reactor containing the catalyst;
- (b) converting the propane to ethene or C.sub.4 hydrocarbons or a mixture thereof in the reactor in the presence of the catalyst at a temperature of from 400.degree. C. to 800.degree. C. inclusive and a pressure of from 1 to 20 atmospheres inclusive;
- and
- (c) recovering the product.
A process for the conversion of butane to give a product containing at least 40% by weight of ethene or propene or a mixture thereof in a reactor in the presence of a modified natural clinoptilolite catalyst produced by treating a natural clinoptilolite with either (1) a mineral acid at a concentration of greater than 1M for a treatment time of longer than 24 hours or (2) alkali at a concentration greater than 0.5M for a treatment time of longer than 1 hour, washing the resulting product and treating the resulting product with a mineral acid at a concentration of greater than 0.1M for a treatment time of longer than 1 hour which includes the steps of:
- (a) feeding the butane to the reactor containing the catalyst;
- (b) converting the butane to ethene or propene or a mixture thereof in the reactor in the presence of the catalyst at a temperature of from 400.degree. C. to 800.degree. C. inclusive, and at a pressure of from 1 to 20 atmospheres inclusive;
- and
- (c) recovering the product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.