Provided is a method for producing an aliphatic alcohol having 8 or more and 22 or less carbon atoms through hydrogenation of a fatty acid or a fatty acid ester using a catalyst, wherein the catalyst carries a catalyst metal on a support, (a) the catalyst contains one or more elements selected from Co and Cu as the catalyst metal, (b) the total pore volume of the catalyst is 0.05 mL/g or more, and (c) the volume of pores with a pore size of 0.1 μm or more and 500 μm or less is 50% or more of the total pore volume of the catalyst.

This disclosure generally relates to an oxide composition basically composed of cerium and zirconium that has exceptional and stable porosity, surface area and lattice oxygen mobility. The oxide composition can contain one or more other rare earth oxides other than cerium oxide. For example, some compositions can contain one or more of lanthanum oxide, yttrium oxide and neodymium oxide. The oxide composition can be useful as a catalyst, catalyst support, sensor applications and combinations thereof.

This disclosure generally relates to an oxide composition basically composed of cerium and zirconium that has exceptional and stable porosity, surface area and lattice oxygen mobility. The oxide composition can contain one or more other rare earth oxides other than cerium oxide. For example, some compositions can contain one or more of lanthanum oxide, yttrium oxide and neodymium oxide. The oxide composition can be useful as a catalyst, catalyst support, sensor applications and combinations thereof.

An exhaust gas-purifying catalyst material includes first oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 1 μm to 95 μm and having an oxygen storage capacity, second oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 0.05 μm to 0.5 μm, containing a metal element, and having no oxygen storage capacity, precious metal particles, and acidic oxide particles. The material has a correlation coefficient ρ of 0.45 or more obtained using first characteristic X-ray intensity for the metal element contained in the second oxide particle, second characteristic X-ray intensity for an element other than oxygen contained in the acidic oxide particle, and third characteristic X-ray intensity for a precious metal element contained in the precious metal particle.

An exhaust gas-purifying catalyst material includes first oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 1 μm to 95 μm and having an oxygen storage capacity, second oxide particles having an average particle diameter D.sub.av of 0.05 μm to 0.5 μm, containing a metal element, and having no oxygen storage capacity, precious metal particles, and acidic oxide particles. The material has a correlation coefficient ρ of 0.45 or more obtained using first characteristic X-ray intensity for the metal element contained in the second oxide particle, second characteristic X-ray intensity for an element other than oxygen contained in the acidic oxide particle, and third characteristic X-ray intensity for a precious metal element contained in the precious metal particle.

The exhaust gas-purifying catalyst of the invention includes a noble metal, and crystallites that form CZ composite metal particles which serve as a carrier supporting the noble metal and contain at least zirconium (Zr) and cerium (Ce). The CZ composite oxide particles (crystallites) further contain crystal growth-suppressing fine particles which are fine metal particles comprising primarily a metallic element M that melts at 1,500° C. or above and which suppress crystal growth by the CZ composite oxide particles. The content of the metallic element M included in the CZ composite oxide particles, expressed in terms of the oxide thereof, is 0.5 mol % or less of the total oxide.

The exhaust gas-purifying catalyst of the invention includes a noble metal, and crystallites that form CZ composite metal particles which serve as a carrier supporting the noble metal and contain at least zirconium (Zr) and cerium (Ce). The CZ composite oxide particles (crystallites) further contain crystal growth-suppressing fine particles which are fine metal particles comprising primarily a metallic element M that melts at 1,500° C. or above and which suppress crystal growth by the CZ composite oxide particles. The content of the metallic element M included in the CZ composite oxide particles, expressed in terms of the oxide thereof, is 0.5 mol % or less of the total oxide.

The present invention discloses a rare-earth-manganese/cerium-zirconium-based composite compound, a method for preparing the same, and a use thereof. The composite compound is of a core-shell structure with a general formula expressed as: A RE.sub.cB.sub.aO.sub.b-(1-A)Ce.sub.xZr.sub.(1-x-y)M.sub.yO.sub.2-z, wherein 0.1≤A≤0.3, preferably 0.1≤A≤0.2; a shell layer has a main component of rare-earth manganese oxide with a general formula of RE.sub.cMn.sub.aO.sub.b, wherein RE is a rare-earth element or a combination of more than one rare-earth elements, and B is Mn or a combination of Mn and a transition metal element, 1≤a≤8, 2≤b≤18, and 0.25≤c≤4; and a core has a main component of cerium-zirconium composite oxide with a general formula of Ce.sub.xZr.sub.(1-x-y)M.sub.yO.sub.2-z, wherein M is one or more non-cerium rare-earth elements, 0.1≤x≤0.9, 0≤y≤0.3, and 0.01≤z≤0.3. The composite compound enhances an oxygen storage capacity of a cerium-zirconium material through an interface effect, thereby increasing a conversion rate of a nitrogen oxide.

The present invention discloses a rare-earth-manganese/cerium-zirconium-based composite compound, a method for preparing the same, and a use thereof. The composite compound is of a core-shell structure with a general formula expressed as: A RE.sub.cB.sub.aO.sub.b-(1-A)Ce.sub.xZr.sub.(1-x-y)M.sub.yO.sub.2-z, wherein 0.1≤A≤0.3, preferably 0.1≤A≤0.2; a shell layer has a main component of rare-earth manganese oxide with a general formula of RE.sub.cMn.sub.aO.sub.b, wherein RE is a rare-earth element or a combination of more than one rare-earth elements, and B is Mn or a combination of Mn and a transition metal element, 1≤a≤8, 2≤b≤18, and 0.25≤c≤4; and a core has a main component of cerium-zirconium composite oxide with a general formula of Ce.sub.xZr.sub.(1-x-y)M.sub.yO.sub.2-z, wherein M is one or more non-cerium rare-earth elements, 0.1≤x≤0.9, 0≤y≤0.3, and 0.01≤z≤0.3. The composite compound enhances an oxygen storage capacity of a cerium-zirconium material through an interface effect, thereby increasing a conversion rate of a nitrogen oxide.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a zirconia-based composite oxide for making it possible to form a catalyst layer which, despite having a reduced thickness, has a sufficient quantity of catalyst to function in exhaust gas treatment on a wall of a honeycomb structure. The purpose of the present invention is also to provide a method for manufacturing said zirconia-based composite oxide. The present invention relates to a zirconia-based composite oxide characterized in that the tap bulk density thereof is 0.75 g/mL or greater, and the specific surface area thereof after heat treatment for three hours at 1000° C. is 45 m.sup.2/g or greater.