A porous body is provided with enhanced fluid transport properties that is capable of performing or facilitating separations, or performing reactions and/or providing areas for such separations or reactions to take place. The porous body includes at least 80 percent alpha alumina and has a pore volume from 0.3 mL/g to 1.2 mL/g and a surface area from 0.3 m.sup.2/g to 3.0 m.sup.2/g. The porous body further includes a pore architecture that provides at least one of a tortuosity of 7.0 or less, a constriction of 4.0 or less and a permeability of 30 mdarcys or greater. The porous body can be used in a wide variety of applications such as, for example, as a filter, as a membrane or as a catalyst carrier.

A catalytic proppant and methods for making and using same are disclosed herein. The catalytic proppant can include a proppant support containing silica and alumina. The proppant support can have a macropore concentration of about 15% to about 45%, a mesopore concentration of about 20% to 50%, and a micropore concentration of about 8% to about 30% based on the total pore volume of the proppant support. The proppant support can also have a surface area of about 0.5 m.sup.2/g to about 50 m.sup.2/g. The catalytic proppant can have a long term permeability at 7,500 psi of at least about 10 D in accordance with ISO 13503-5.

Disclosed are a nanocomposite including a catalytic material and a porous support having a structure of a blocky structure, a spherical structure, and a combination thereof and a manufacturing method thereof. The nanocomposite may have improved the lifespan performance while being applied to the oxidation-reduction reaction of a high temperature.

The invention relates to nanoporous gold nanoparticle catalysts formed by exposure of nanoporous gold to ozone at elevated temperatures, as well as methods for production of esters and other compounds.

A hydrogenation process is disclosed. The process involves reacting a fluoroolefin with H.sub.2 in a reaction zone in the presence of a palladium catalyst to produce a hydrofluoroalkane product, wherein the palladium catalyst comprises palladium supported on a carrier wherein the palladium concentration is from about 0.001 wt % to about 0.2 wt % based on the total weight of the palladium and the carrier. Also disclosed is a palladium catalyst composition consisting essentially of palladium supported on -Al.sub.2O.sub.3 wherein the palladium concentration is from about 0.001 wt % to about 0.2 wt % based on the total weight of the palladium and the -Al.sub.2O.sub.3. Also disclosed is a hydrogenation process comprising (a) passing a mixture comprising fluoroolefin and H.sub.2 through a bed of palladium catalyst in a reaction zone wherein the palladium catalyst comprises palladium supported on a carrier; and (b) producing a hydrofluoroalkane product; characterized by: the palladium catalyst in the front of the bed having lower palladium concentration than the palladium catalyst in the back of the bed.

Shaped porous carbon products and processes for preparing these products are provided. The shaped porous carbon products can be used, for example, as catalyst supports and adsorbents. Catalyst compositions including these shaped porous carbon products, processes of preparing the catalyst compositions, and various processes of using the shaped porous carbon products and catalyst compositions are also provided.

A zeolite fluid catalytic cracking catalyst is provided that passivates nickel and vanadium during catalytic cracking. The zeolite fluid catalytic cracking catalyst includes Y-faujasite crystallized in-situ from a metakaolin-containing calcined microsphere. The zeolite fluid catalytic cracking catalyst further includes an alumina-containing matrix obtained by calcination of a dispersible crystalline boehmite and a kaolin contained in the metakaolin-containing calcined microsphere, where the dispersible crystalline boehmite has a crystallite size of less than 500 . Also provided are a method of reducing contaminant coke and hydrogen yields and a method of catalytic cracking of heavy hydrocarbon feed stocks.

A catalyst comprises an active phase constituted by palladium, and a porous support comprising at least one refractory oxide selected from the group constituted by silica, alumina and silica-alumina, in which: the palladium content in the catalyst is in the range 0.0025% to 1% by weight with respect to the total weight of catalyst; at least 80% by weight of the palladium is distributed in a crust at the periphery of the porous support, the thickness of said crust being in the range 25 to 500 m; the specific surface area of the porous support is in the range 1 to 50 m.sup.2/g; the metallic dispersion D of the palladium is less than 20%.

The invention relates to a catalyst for a process for removing mercaptans and optionally disulfides (if present) from hydrocarbon streams, in particular C4 streams, in the presence of higher dienes, in particular C5 dienes. At the same time, the invention also relates to a process for removing mercaptans and disulfides (if present) from hydrocarbon streams, in particular C4 streams, in one embodiment in the presence of 1-butene, by thioetherification of the mercaptans with polyunsaturated hydrocarbons, wherein the process is carried out in a reactor with addition of hydrogen in the presence of higher dienes, in particular C.sub.5 dienes.

The present invention relates to a catalyst comprising a) from 90% to 99.99% by weight of alumina in which said alumina is at least 90% by weight -alumina and b) from 0.01% to 10% by weight of at least one metal of valency 0 selected from the group consisting of Pd, Ru, Pt, Rh and Ir, characterized in that the chloride content of said catalyst is less than 500 ppm, based on the total weight of the catalyst.