Methods of forming mesoporous zeolites with tunable pore widths are provided. In some embodiments, the method includes mixing a silicon-containing material, an aluminum-containing material, and at least a quaternary amine to produce a zeolite precursor solution. The zeolite precursor solution is pre-crystallized at a pre-crystallization temperature of greater than 125° C. and autogenous pressure to form a pre-crystallized zeolite precursor solution and combined with an organosilane mesopore template to produce a zeolite precursor gel. The zeolite precursor gel is crystallized without a previous discrete functionalization step to produce a crystalline zeolite intermediate and the crystalline zeolite intermediate is calcined to produce the mesoporous zeolite. An organosilane mesopore template in accordance with ##STR00001##
is also provided, where R is an aliphatic, aromatic, or heteroatom-containing group.

A method of producing a hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst is provided. The method includes dissolving, in an alkaline solution and in the presence of a surfactant, a catalyst precursor comprising mesoporous zeolite to yield a dissolved zeolite solution, where the mesoporous zeolite comprises large pore ZSM-12 and medium pore ZSM-5. The method also includes condensing the dissolved zeolite solution to yield a solid zeolite composite from the dissolved zeolite solution and heating the solid zeolite composite to remove the surfactant. The method further includes impregnating the solid zeolite composite with one or more active metals selected from the group consisting of platinum, rhenium, rhodium, molybdenum, nickel, tungsten, chromium, ruthenium, gold, and combinations thereof to yield impregnated solid zeolite composite and calcining the impregnated solid zeolite composite to produce the hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst. The hierarchical zeolite composite catalyst has a mesostructure comprising at least one disordered mesophase and at least one ordered mesophase.

A method for hydrocracking a hydrocarbon feedstock, the method comprising: contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst containing a nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition under reaction conditions to produce a product stream containing at least 20 weight percent of hydrocarbons with 1-4 carbon atoms, wherein the nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition is produced by a method that includes: mixing silica, a source of aluminum, and tetraethylammonium hydroxide to form an aluminosilicate fluid gel; drying the aluminosilicate fluid gel to form a dried gel mixture; subjecting the dried gel mixture to hydrothermal treatment to produce a zeolite precursor; adding cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to the zeolite precursor to form a templated mixture; subjecting the templated mixture to hydrothermal treatment to prepare a CTAB-templated zeolite; washing the CTAB-templated zeolite with distilled water; separating the CTAB-templated zeolite by centrifugation; and drying and calcining the CTAB-templated zeolites to produce a nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, each or both of which may include a heteropolyacid. The hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support may have an average pore size of from 2 nm to 40 nm. Contacting the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support.

The present invention provides a method for producing a biofuel that allows an animal/vegetable fat/oil raw material containing a free fatty acid to react with a lower alcohol in the presence of a solid acid catalyst, in which the consumption of the lower alcohol is reduced and the free fatty acid and the lower alcohol are selectively esterified to reform the animal/vegetable fat/oil.

In this method, as a solid acid catalyst is used a catalyst selected from an SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 solid acid catalyst, an SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 solid acid catalyst with aluminum being partially introduced into mesoporous silica, an Al.sub.2O.sub.3/B.sub.2O.sub.3 solid acid catalyst, and a sulfated zirconia solid acid catalyst, with a molar ratio of the free fatty acid and the lower alcohol of 1 to 6.

A process of producing a catalyst comprises forming mesoporous beta zeolite particles, impregnating mesoporous beta zeolite particles with a metal and phosphorus to produce a metal and phosphorus impregnated zeolite, and incorporating the metal and phosphorus impregnated zeolite with clay and alumina to produce the catalyst. The forming step comprises converting a crystalline beta zeolite to a non-crystalline material with reduced silica content relative to the crystalline beta zeolite, and crystalizing the non-crystalline material to produce mesoporous beta zeolite particles.

Catalyst compositions comprising an inorganic porous material with pore diameters of at least 2 nm and of crystals of molecular sieve, characterized in that the crystals of molecular sieve have an average diameter, measured by scanning electron microscopy, not bigger than 50 nm, and in that the catalyst composition presents a concentration of acid sites ranges from 50 to 1200 mol/g measured by TPD NH3 adsorption; and the XRD pattern of said catalyst composition is the same as the X ray diffraction pattern of said inorganic porous material.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, each or both of which may include a heteropolyacid. The hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support may have an average pore size of from 2 nm to 40 nm. Contacting the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support.

A method of making a multifunctional catalyst for upgrading pyrolysis oil includes contacting a hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with a solution including at least a first metal catalyst precursor and a second metal catalyst precursor, each or both of which may include a heteropolyacid. The hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support may have an average pore size of from 2 nm to 40 nm. Contacting the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support with the solution deposits or adsorbs the first metal catalyst precursor and the second catalyst precursor onto outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support to produce a multifunctional catalyst precursor. The method further includes removing excess solution and calcining the multifunctional catalyst precursor to produce the multifunctional catalyst comprising at least a first metal catalyst and a second metal catalyst deposited on the outer surfaces and pore surfaces of the hierarchical mesoporous zeolite support.

A method for hydrocracking a hydrocarbon feedstock, the method comprising: contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst containing a nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition under reaction conditions to produce a product stream containing at least 20 weight percent of hydrocarbons with 1-4 carbon atoms, wherein the nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition is produced by a method that includes: mixing silica, a source of aluminum, and tetraethylammonium hydroxide to form an aluminosilicate fluid gel; drying the aluminosilicate fluid gel to form a dried gel mixture; subjecting the dried gel mixture to hydrothermal treatment to produce a zeolite precursor; adding cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to the zeolite precursor to form a templated mixture; subjecting the templated mixture to hydrothermal treatment to prepare a CTAB-templated zeolite; washing the CTAB-templated zeolite with distilled water; separating the CTAB-templated zeolite by centrifugation; and drying and calcining the CTAB-templated zeolites to produce a nano-sized mesoporous zeolite composition.