The present invention describes a process for the isomerization of paraffinic feedstocks operating at a temperature of between 200 C. and 500 C., at a total pressure of between 0.45 MPa and 7 MPa, at a hydrogen partial pressure of between 0.3 and 5.5 MPa, at an hourly space velocity of between 0.1 and 10 kilograms of feedstock introduced per kilogram of catalyst and per hour and using a catalyst comprising at least one metal of group VIII of the periodic table of elements, at least one matrix and at least one zeolite IZM-2, in which the ratio between the number of moles of silicon and the number of moles of aluminium of the zeolite IZM-2 network is between 25 and 55, preferably between 25 and 50, and preferably between 30 and 50.

In a process for producing a methyl-substituted biphenyl compound, at least one methyl-substituted cyclohexylbenzene compound of the formula:

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wherein each of m and n is independently 1, 2, or 3, is contacted with hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst to produce a hydrogenation reaction product comprising at least one methyl-substituted bicyclohexane compound, and the methyl-substituted bicyclohexane compound is then contacted with a dehydrogenation catalyst to produce a dehydrogenation reaction product comprising at least one methyl-substituted biphenyl compound.

A process for oxidizing methyl-substituted biphenyl compounds comprises contacting a mixture comprising isomers of at least one methyl-substituted biphenyl compound with a source of oxygen, wherein the mixture comprises at least 20 wt % of isomer(s) having a methyl group at a 2-position or a 3-position on at least one benzene ring and at least 50 wt % of isomer(s) having a methyl group at a 4-position on at least one benzene ring, wherein said percentages are based on the total weight of the at least one methylbiphenyl compound in the mixture.

A method is provided for synthesizing a molecular sieve having the framework structure of SSZ-55 using [(1-phenyl)cyclopentylmethyl]trimethylammonium cations as a structure directing agent.

Disclosed herein is a process for producing para-xylene comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a feedstock comprising toluene with a first catalyst under effective vapor phase toluene disproportionation conditions to disproportionate said toluene and produce a first product comprising benzene, unreacted toluene and greater than equilibrium amounts of para-xylene; and (b) contacting a feedstock comprising C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons and benzene with a second catalyst in the presence of 0 wt. % or more of hydrogen having a 0 to 10 hydrogen/hydrocarbon molar ratio under effective C.sub.9+ transalkylation conditions to transalkylate said C.sub.9+ aromatic hydrocarbons and produce a second product comprising xylenes.

The invention relates to a gas-phase synthesis of butadiene from ethanol or from a mixture of ethanol and acetaldehyde. The method of production includes conversion of ethanol or a mixture of ethanol with acetaldehyde in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the reaction is carried out in the presence of a solid catalyst with a mesoporous Zr-containing zeolite having a BEA type structure and at least one metal in a zero oxidation state selected from the group: silver, copper and gold. The claimed method is suitable for carrying out the reaction under continuous flow conditions in the reactor with a fixed bed of catalyst. The invention makes possible to achieve a high yield of butadiene with high selectivity to butadiene and high stability of the catalyst.

A family of new crystalline molecular sieves designated SSZ-91 is disclosed, as are methods for making SSZ-91 and uses for SSZ-91. Molecular sieve SSZ-91 is structurally similar to sieves falling within the ZSM-48 family of molecular sieves, and is characterized as: (1) having a low degree of faulting, (2) a low aspect ratio that inhibits hydrocracking as compared to conventional ZSM-48 materials having an aspect ratio of greater than 8, and (3) is substantially phase pure.

Disclosed is a transalkylation process for making an aromatic material between a light aromatic material and a heavier aromatic material in the presence of hydrogen and a transalkylation catalyst comprising a hydrogenation component and a transalkylation component. The process comprises conducting the transalkylation reaction under conditions conducive to reducing the amount of cyclic compounds in the transalkylation reaction mixture in the beginning phase of the operation that is different from the conditions after the beginning phase. The invention is useful, e.g., in transalkylation between toluene and C9+ aromatic feed materials to produce xylenes and/or benzene.

Processes are described for isomerizing one or more C.sub.4-C.sub.24 alpha olefins to produce an isomerization mixture comprising one or more C.sub.4-C.sub.24 internal olefins comprising contacting an olefinic feed comprising the one or more C.sub.4-C.sub.24 alpha olefins with a catalyst under isomerization conditions, wherein the catalyst comprises a microporous crystalline aluminosilicate selected from the group consisting of ZSM-5, ZSM-23, ZSM-35, ZSM-11, ZSM-12, ZSM-48, ZSM-57, and mixtures or combinations thereof, and wherein the microporous crystalline aluminosilicate has a SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 molar ratio of less than or equal to about 100. The resulting isomerization mixture typically exhibits a lower pour point and maintained biodegradability properties as compared to the olefinic feed, and is particularly useful in drilling fluid and paper sizing compositions.

Embodiments of zeolite composite catalysts and methods of producing the zeolite composite catalysts are provided, where the methods comprise dissolving in an alkaline solution a catalyst precursor comprising at least one mesoporous zeolite while heating, stirring, or both to yield a dissolved zeolite solution, where the mesoporous zeolite has a molar ratio of SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 of at least 30, where the mesoporous zeolite comprises zeolite beta, adjusting the pH of the dissolved zeolite solution, aging the pH adjusted dissolved zeolite solution to yield solid zeolite composite from the dissolved zeolite solution, and calcining the solid zeolite composite to produce the zeolite composite catalyst, where the zeolite composite catalyst has a mesostructure comprising at least one disordered mesophase and at least one ordered mesophase, and where the zeolite composite catalyst has a surface area defined by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis of at least 600 m.sup.2/g.