Solid-acid isomerization catalyst and process

A hydrocarbon conversion catalyst consisting essentially of a support comprising a sulfated oxide or hydroxide of zirconium having deposited thereon;

• from about 0.01 to about 10 mass-%, on an elemental basis, of a Group III A (IUPAC 13) component selected from the group consisting of gallium, indium, and mixtures thereof;
• from about 0.01 to about 2 mass-%, on an elemental basis, of a platinum component;
• and optionally, from about 0.1 to about 5 mass-% of a third component selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, rhenium, europium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, and combinations thereof.

A process for the preparation of a catalyst suitable for hydrocarbon conversion consisting essentially of a sulfated support comprising at least one of the oxides and hydroxides of the elements of Group IVB (IUPAC 4), a first component comprising at least one Group III A (IUPAC 13) components, a second component comprising at least one platinum-group metal, and optionally a third component selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, rhenium, europium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, and combinations thereof, the process comprising sulfating an oxide or hydroxide of at least one element of Group IVB (IUPAC 4) to form a sulfated support;

• depositing on the sulfated support, the first component;
• depositing on the sulfated support, the second component;
• and optionally depositing on the sulfated support, the third component to form said catalyst.

A process for converting hydrocarbons by contacting a feed with a solid acid catalyst to give a converted product, the catalyst consisting essentially of a support comprising a sulfated oxide or hydroxide of at least an element of Group IVB (IUPAC 4), a first component comprising at least one Group III A (IUPAC 13) component, a second component comprising at least one platinum-group metal, and optionally a third component selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, rhenium, europium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, and combinations thereof.

A process for the isomerization of a paraffinic feedstock to obtain a product having an increased isoparaffin content comprising contacting the paraffinic feedstock in an isomerization zone maintained at isomerization conditions comprising a temperature from about 40 to about 250° C., a pressure from about 100 kPa to about 10 MPa and a liquid hourly space velocity from about 0.2 to about 25 hr−1 with a solid acid isomerization catalyst consisting essentially of a sulfated support comprising an oxide or hydroxide of elements of Group IVB (IUPAC 4), a first component comprising at least one Group III A (IUPAC 13) component, a second component comprising at least one platinum-group metal, and optionally a third component selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, nickel, rhenium, europium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, yttrium, and combinations thereof, and recovering an isoparaffin-rich product.