A method of reducing a C—O bond to the corresponding C—H bond in a substrate, which could be a benzylic alcohol, allylic alcohol, ester or an ether bond beta to a hydroxyl group or alpha to a carbonyl group using a recyclable metal catalyst system. The recyclable catalyst system is also applicable to reducing a C═O bond to the corresponding C—OH bond and then C—H bond. These methodologies can be linked in one-pot to selective oxidation and depolymerizations of aromatic polyols such as lignin.

Improved systems and methods for producing propylene from olefins including isobutylene is disclosed. The improvements combine streams containing co-produced 1-butene, 2-butene, butadiene, and heavy olefins (C5+) exiting both a metathesis reactor and a skeletal isomerization reactor in a gasoline fractionation tower to remove the heavy olefins. The C4-containing distillate from the gasoline fractionation tower is then fed to a hydroisomerization unit to form mono-olefins and 2-butene. The resulting 2-butene rich stream can then be utilized in metathesis reactions to increase the production of propylene while increasing the lifetime of the metathesis catalyst.

Process for preparing an olefinic product comprising partially hydrogenated β-farnesene in two stages. In the first stage, reaction conditions are controlled to favor the hydrogenation of β-farnesene over auto dimerization and polymerization of β-farnesene. In the second stage, reaction conditions are controlled to favor the hydrogenation of dihydro-β-farnesene and tetrahydro-β-farnesene to form hexahydro-β-hydrofarnesene over the hydrogenation of hexahydro-β-hydrofarnesene to form farnesane.

A propane dehydrogenation and propylene purification process in which a stream comprising propylene, propane, and methyl acetylene and propadiene (MAPD) is mixed with a hydrogen stream then reacted in at least three distinct reaction zones in a hydrogenation reactor system where MAPD is hydrogenated by a high-selectivity hydrogenation catalyst in a first reaction zone, and a second and a third reaction zones each have a low-selectivity hydrogenation catalyst to remove unreacted hydrogen. The outlet stream leaving the hydrogenation reactor system is MAPD-free and can be fed to a splitter column, which now mainly serves to separate propylene from propane. Various embodiments of reaction zone arrangements in a single or multiple reactors are also provided.

Apparatuses and methods for performing coupled chemical and electrochemical reactions are disclosed. An electrochemical cell has a first reaction chamber configured to perform a chemical reaction and an anode chamber configured to perform an electrochemical reaction. The first reaction chamber and the anode chamber are separated by a first membrane. The first membrane acts as a cathode of the cell, a hydrogen-selective layer and a catalyst. The first membrane may comprise a layer of palladium or a palladium alloy. An ion exchange membrane separates the first membrane and the anode chamber. The chemical and electrochemical reactions may respectively be hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions.

A long life catalyst is provided that is conveniently and inexpensively capable of being produced and that is highly active and has inhibited metal leakage. According to aspects of the present invention, a catalyst is provided that includes: a polymer including a plurality of first structural units and a plurality of second structural units; and metal acting as a catalytic center, wherein at least part of the metal is covered with the polymer, each of the plurality of first structural units has a first atom constituting a main chain of the polymer and a first substituent group bonded to the first atom, a second atom included in each of the plurality of second structural units is bonded to the first atom, and the second atom is different from the first atom, or at least one of all substituent groups on the second atom is different from the first substituent group.

A method for converting cedarwood oil into high density fuels including, hydrogenating cedarwood oil in the presence of at least one hydrogenation catalyst to generate hydrogenated cedarwood oil, removing the hydrogenation catalyst from the hydrogenated cedarwood oil, purifying the hydrogenated cedarwood oil to produce a first high density fuel, isomerizing the first high density fuel in the presence of at least one acid catalyst catalyst to generate a hydrocarbon mixture including adamantanes, and distilling the adamantane mixture to produce a second alkyl-adamantane high density fuel.

Disclosed is a composite catalyst, comprising carbon in a continuous phase and Raney alloy particles in a dispersed phase. The Raney alloy particles are dispersed evenly or unevenly in the carbon in a continuous phase, and the carbon in a continuous phase is obtained by carbonizing at least one carbonizable organic substance. The catalyst has good particle strength, high catalytic activity, and good selectivity.

The invention relates to polyoxometalates represented by the formula (A.sub.n).sup.m+[M′M.sub.12X.sub.8O.sub.yR.sub.zH.sub.q].sup.m− or solvates thereof, corresponding supported polyoxometalates, and processes for their preparation, as well as corresponding metal clusters, optionally in the form of a dispersion in a liquid carrier medium or immobilized on a solid support, and processes for their preparation, as well as their use in reductive conversion of organic substrate.

Embodiments of methods of synthesizing a metathesis catalyst system, which include impregnating tungsten oxide on silica support in the presence of a precursor to produce a base catalyst; calcining the base catalyst; dispersing a solid metal-based co-catalyst onto the surface of the base catalyst to produce a doped catalyst; and calcining the doped catalyst to produce a metathesis catalyst system. Further embodiments of processes for the production of propylene, which include contacting a hydrocarbon feedstock comprising a mixture of 1-butene and 2-butene with embodiments of the metathesis catalyst system to produce, via metathesis conversion, a product stream comprising propylene.