Alumina trihydrate derived high pore volume, high surface area aluminum oxide composites and methods of their preparation and use

A process for making porous composite particles having a surface area of at least 80 m2/g, a total nitrogen pore volume of from about 0.2 to about 2.5 cc/g, and an average pore diameter of from about 60 to about 1,000 Angstroms comprising:

• (A) admixing (i) alumina trihydrate, (ii) liquid medium capable of solubilizing at least a portion of the alumina trihydrate under hydrothermal treatment conditions, (iii) at least one active alumina seed component, and (iv) at least one additive component selected from the group of (a) at least one alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxide or ammonium:
• silicate, phosphate or sulfate and (b) swellable clay, and (c) mixtures thereof in a manner and under conditions sufficient to disperse the alumina trihydrate and alumina seed component as particles in the liquid medium;
• (B) hydrothermally treating a dispersion provided in accordance with step A at a temperature and for a time sufficient to convert the active alumina and alumina trihydrate to crystalline boehmite having an average crystallite size of from about 20 to about 200 Angstroms and to form composite particles comprising residue of said additive component dispersed within said crystalline boehmite slurried in the liquid medium;
• (C) removing the liquid medium from the composite particles provided in accordance with step B.

Porous agglomerate particles comprising constituent composite particles of an additive component residue dispersed within an aluminum oxide component, wherein:

• (A) the agglomerate particle size is from about 0.5 to about 5 mm;
• (B) the aluminum oxide component comprises at least 70 wt. % (a) crystallite boehmite having a crystallite size of from about 20 to about 200 Angstroms;
• and (b) gamma alumina derived from said crystalline boehmite;
• or (c) mixtures thereof;
• (C) the additive component residue is (i) present within the aluminum oxide component at an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 wt. %, based on the combined weight of the aluminum oxide component and additive, component residue, and (ii) derived from at least one ionic compound having a cation and an anion wherein the cation is selected from the group consisting of ammonium, alkali metal cation, and alkaline earth metal cation and mixtures thereof and the anion is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, silicate, phosphate, sulfate and mixtures thereof.

In a process for the hydroprocessing of petroleum feedstock wherein said feedstock is contacted with hydrogen under pressure in the presence of a supported hydroprocessing catalyst, the improvement comprising utilizing porous agglomerate particles as the support for the supported catalyst wherein said porous agglomerate particles comprise constituent composite particles of an additive component residue dispersed within an aluminum oxide component wherein:

• (A) the agglomerate particle size is from about 0.5 to about 5 mm;
• (B) the aluminum oxide component comprises at least 70 wt. % crystalline boehmite having a crystallite size of from about 20 to about 200 Angstroms;
• and (b) gamma alumina derived from said crystalline boehmite;
• or (c) mixtures thereof;
• (C) the additive component residue is (i) present within the aluminum oxide component at an amount of from about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % based on the combined weight of the aluminum oxide component and additive component residue and (ii) derived from at least one ionic compound having a cation and an anion wherein the cation is selected from the group consisting of ammonium, alkali metal cation, alkaline earth metal cation, and mixtures thereof and the anion is selected from the group of hydroxyl, silicate, phosphate, sulfate and mixtures thereof.

Porous composite particles comprising an aluminum oxide component and additive component residue dispersed within the aluminum oxide component, and having:

• (A) a specific surface area of at least about 80 m2/g;
• (B) an average nitrogen pore diameter of from about 60 to 1,000 Angstroms;
• and
• (C) a total nitrogen pore volume of from about 0.2 to about 2.5 cc/g;
• and
• prepared by the process comprising:
• (A) admixing (i) alumina trihydrate, (ii) liquid medium capable of solubilizing at least a portion of the alumina trihydrate under hydrothermal treatment conditions, (iii) at least one active alumina seed component, and (iv) at least one additive component selected from the group consisting of (a) alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxide, silicate, phosphate or sulfate and (b) swellable clay, in a manner and under conditions sufficient to disperse the alumina trihydrate and alumina seed component as particles having an average particle size of from about 1 to about 15 microns in the liquid medium;
• (B) hydrothermally treating a dispersion provided in accordance with step A at a temperature and for a time sufficient to convert the active alumina and alumina trihydrate to crystalline boehmite having an average crystallite size of from about 20 to about 200 Angstroms and to form composite particles comprising residue of said additive component dispersed within said crystalline boehmite slurried in the liquid medium;
• (C) removing the liquid medium from the composite particles provided in accordance with step B.