The invention relates to a process for preparing acrylic acid from formaldehyde and acetic acid, comprising (i) providing a gaseous stream S1 comprising formaldehyde, acetic acid and acrylic acid, where the molar ratio of acrylic acid to the sum total of formaldehyde and acetic acid in stream S1 is in the range from 0.005:1 to 0.3:1; (ii) contacting stream S1 with an aldol condensation catalyst in a reaction zone to obtain a gaseous stream S2 comprising acrylic acid.

Methods of simultaneously converting butanes and methanol to olefins over Ti-containing zeolite catalysts are described. The exothermicity of the alcohols to olefins reaction is matched by endothermicity of dehydrogenation reaction of butane(s) to light olefins resulting in a thermo-neutral process. The Ti-containing zeolites provide excellent selectivity to light olefins as well as exceptionally high hydrothermal stability. The coupled reaction may advantageously be conducted in a staged reactor with methanol/DME conversion zones alternating with zones for butane(s) dehydrogenation. The resulting light olefins can then be reacted with iso-butane to produce high-octane alkylate. The net result is a highly efficient and low cost method for converting methanol and butanes to alkylate.

A catalyst for the carbonylation of dimethyl ether to methyl acetate. The catalyst comprises a zeolite, such as a mordenite zeolite, at least one Group IB metal, such as copper, and/or at least one Group VIII metal, such as iron, and at least one Group IIB metal, such as zinc. Such a catalyst with combined metals provides enhanced catalytic activity, improved stability, and improved selectivity to methyl acetate, and does not require a halogen promoter, as compared to a metal-free or copper only zeolite.

The present disclosure relates to a process for preparing a catalyst. The process comprises coating zeolite gel over the alumina support to obtain a chloride free zeolite gel coated alumina support, crystallizing the chloride free zeolite gel coated alumina support, washing, drying and calcining the crystallized zeolite coated alumina support to obtain a calcined crystallized chloride free zeolite coated alumina support, treating the calcined crystallized chloride free zeolite coated alumina support with ammonium nitrate to obtain sodium free support, washing, drying, and calcining the support to obtain a calcined chloride free zeolite coated alumina support, immersing the calcined chloride free zeolite coated alumina support in an active metal and a promoter metal solution mixture followed by stirring to obtain a metal coated chloride free zeolite coated alumina support, and drying and calcining the metal coated chloride free zeolite coated alumina support to obtain the catalyst.

The present disclosure relates to a catalyst for a naphtha reforming process. The catalyst comprises a chloride free zeolite coated alumina support impregnated with 0.01 wt % to 0.5 wt % active metal and 0.01 wt % to 0.5 wt % promoter metal, characterized in that the thickness of the zeolite coating on the alumina support ranges from 100 m to 200 m.

Oligomerization catalyst and method for oligomerization using the catalyst. The catalyst comprises a single Zn(II) or Ga(III) metal ion center directly bonded to a support through a shared oxygen atom, the catalyst having at least one M-O bond which forms an active site for oligomerization. The method includes reacting one or more C2 to C12 olefins with the oligomerization catalyst at a temperature of about 200 C. or higher to provide an oligomer product comprising C4 to C26 olefins.

The present disclosure relates to a naphtha reforming process for obtaining reformed naphtha comprising contacting naphtha with a catalyst, the catalyst comprising a chloride free zeolite coated alumina support impregnated with 0.01 wt % to 0.5 wt % active metal and 0.01 wt % to 0.5 wt % promoter metal, wherein the thickness of the zeolite coating on the alumina support ranges from 100 m to 200 m, which results in formation of reformed products of naphtha and ethylbenzene formed in-situ.

A process for the preparation of lactic acid and 2-hydroxy-3-butenoic acid or esters thereof from a sugar in the presence of a metallo-silicate material, a metal ion and a solvent, wherein the metal ion is selected from one or more of the group consisting of potassium ions, sodium ions, lithium ions, rubidium ions and caesium ions.

The present invention provides a method for directly producing lactide by subjecting lactic acid to a dehydration reaction in the presence of a catalyst comprising a tin compound, preferably, a tin (IV) compound, wherein lactide can be produced directly or by one step from lactic acid, without going through the step of producing or separating lactic acid oligomer. The method of the present invention has advantages of causing no loss of lactic acid, having a high conversion ratio to lactic acid and a high selectivity to optically pure lactide, and maintaining a long life time of the catalyst. Further, since lactic acid oligomer is not or hardly generated and the selectivity of meso-lactide is low, the method also has an advantage that the cost for removing or purifying this can be saved.

Alkylation systems and methods of minimizing alkylation catalyst regeneration are described herein. The alkylation systems generally include a preliminary alkylation system adapted to receive an input stream including an alkyl aromatic hydrocarbon and contact the input stream with a preliminary alkylation catalyst disposed therein to form a first output stream. The preliminary alkylation catalyst generally includes a zeolite catalyst having a SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3 ratio of less than about 25. The alkylation systems further include a first alkylation system adapted to receive the first output stream and contact the first output stream with a first alkylation catalyst disposed therein and an alkylating agent to form a second output stream.