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Solid-Acid
Catalyst for Refinery Alkylation--Exelus,
Inc., 99 Dorsa Avenue, Livingston, NJ
07039-1037; 973-740-2350
Mr.
Mitrajit Mukherjee, Principal Investigator, mm_exelus@hotmail.com
Mr.
Mitrajit Mukherjee, Business Official, mm_exelus@hotmail.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-02ER83422
Amount:
$100,000
High-octane
alkylate, a major blending component of reformulated gasoline, is currently made
using liquid acid catalysts. For nearly three decades, major oil companies have
been active in developing solid acid catalysts as an alternative to the
hazardous liquid acids. Although some solid-acid catalysts catalyze the
alkylation reaction, they deactivate rapidly on stream. The problem of rapid
deactivation by coke formation has prevented virtually every known solid-acid
alkylation catalyst from being a commercially viable and
environmentally-superior alternative to conventional liquid-acid alkylation
processes. This project will develop
a practical solid-acid catalyst that solves the problem of rapid deactivation by
optimally distributing the acid sites within the catalyst pellet, thereby
significantly reducing the olefin concentration at acid sites. During Phase I,
the new class of solid acid catalysts will be synthesized, characterized, and
tested for paraffin alkylation. Performance of this new class of catalysts will
be compared to the performance of conventional solid-acid catalysts.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: A practical solid acid catalytic system for paraffin alkylation should provide refiners with a cost-effective alternative for producing clean fuels without the need for corrosive liquid acids. The new alkylation process would eliminate safety and maintenance concerns associated with using liquid acids and would be an economically viable alternative to installing mitigation and other safety equipment for modernizing an existing hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit.