Metal oxide catalysts comprising various dopants are provided. The catalysts are useful as heterogeneous catalysts in a variety of catalytic reactions, for example, the oxidative coupling of methane to C2 hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. Related methods for use and manufacture of the same are also disclosed.

Enhanced oxygen transfer agent systems and methods of use thereof are provided. According to one aspect, a method for producing olefins from a hydrocarbon feed includes the step of contacting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes with an oxygen transfer agent at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. The oxygen transfer agent includes an oxygen-donating chalcogen agent including at least one of S, Se, or Te and a reducible metal oxide. The chalcogen has an oxidation state greater than +2. A method for producing one or more olefins by partial combustion of a hydrocarbon feed is provided. The method includes partially combusting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes by contacting the hydrocarbon feed with an oxygen transfer agent comprising CaSO.sub.4 at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. to produce one or more olefins comprising ethylene and coproducing water.

Methods of producing an isomerization catalyst include preparing a catalyst precursor solution, hydrothermally treating the catalyst precursor solution to produce a magnesium oxide precipitant, and calcining the magnesium oxide precipitant to produce the isomerization catalyst. The catalyst precursor solution includes at least a magnesium precursor, a hydrolyzing agent, and cetrimonium bromide. Methods of producing 1-butene from a 2-butene-containing feedstock with the isomerization catalyst are also disclosed.

Methods of producing an isomerization catalyst include preparing a catalyst precursor solution, hydrothermally treating the catalyst precursor solution to produce a magnesium oxide precipitant, and calcining the magnesium oxide precipitant to produce the isomerization catalyst. The catalyst precursor solution includes at least a magnesium precursor, a hydrolyzing agent, and polyethylene glycol. Methods of producing propene from a butene-containing feedstock with the isomerization catalyst and a metathesis catalyst are also disclosed.

Improvements in the commercial viability of oxygen transfer agents (OTAs) and/or catalysts associated with the OCM and the ODH of hydrocarbons to olefins through enhancement of one or more of the selectivity, yield, rate and lifetime of the OTA and/or catalyst is described by one or more of (i) exposing the OTA or the catalyst to a sulfur-containing compound at a site or at a time that is different from where and when the saturated hydrocarbon is converted by the OTA or the catalyst to an unsaturated hydrocarbon; (ii) increasing the particle density of the OTA or the catalyst by treating the OTA or the catalyst with a reducing agent at a site different from where the saturated hydrocarbon is converted by the OTA or by the catalyst to an unsaturated hydrocarbon; and (iii) removing non-selective redox oxygen (NSRO) present on the OTA by subjecting the OTA to a gas that is substantially free of any molecular oxygen.

The invention relates to a catalyst that comprises at least the tantalum element, at least an aldolizing element and at least a mesoporous oxide matrix, with the tantalum mass being between 0.1 and 30% of the mesoporous oxide matrix mass, the mass of the at least one aldolizing element being between 0.02 and 4% of the mesoporous oxide matrix mass, and use thereof.

Aspects of the invention relate to enhanced oxygen transfer agent systems and methods of use thereof. According to one aspect, a method for producing olefins from a hydrocarbon feed includes the step of contacting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes with an oxygen transfer agent at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. The oxygen transfer agent comprising an oxygen-donating chalcogen agent comprised of at least one of S, Se, or Te and a reducible metal oxide. The chalcogen having an oxidation state greater than +2. According to another aspect, a method for producing one or more olefins by partial combustion of a hydrocarbon feed includes partially combusting a hydrocarbon feed comprised of one or more alkanes by contacting the hydrocarbon feed with an oxygen transfer agent comprising CaS0.sub.4 at a temperature of 350° C. to 1000° C. to produce one or more olefins comprising ethylene and coproducing water.

A process is provided for converting mevalonic acid into various useful products and derivatives. More particularly, the process comprises reacting mevalonic acid, or a solution comprising mevalonic acid, in the presence of a solid catalyst at an elevated temperature and pressure to thereby form various biobased products. The process may also comprise: (a) providing a microbial organism that expresses a biosynthetic mevalonic acid pathway; (b) growing the microbial organism in fermentation medium comprising suitable carbon substrates, whereby biobased mevalonic acid is produced; and (c) reacting the biobased mevalonic acid in the presence of a solid catalyst at an elevated temperature and pressure to yield various biobased products.

Processes and multiple-stage catalyst systems are disclosed for producing propene by at least partially isomerizing butene in an isomerization reaction zone having an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerization reaction product, at least partially metathesizing the isomerization reaction product in a metathesis reaction zone having a metathesis catalyst to form a metathesis reaction product, and at least partially cracking the metathesis reaction product in a cracking reaction zone having a cracking catalyst. The isomerization catalyst may be MgO, and the metathesis catalyst may be a mesoporous silica catalyst support impregnated with a metal oxide. The metathesis reaction zone may be downstream of the isomerization reaction zone, and the cracking reaction zone may be downstream of the metathesis reaction zone.

The present invention provides a production method for indene, comprising a dehydrogenation step of obtaining a reaction product containing indene by contacting a raw material composition containing indene with a dehydrogenation catalyst, wherein the dehydrogenation catalyst comprises a support containing aluminum, and a group 14 metal element and platinum supported on the support, a content of the platinum in the dehydrogenation catalyst is 0.6 to 2.5% by mass based on a whole amount of the dehydrogenation catalyst, and an atomic ratio of the group 14 metal element to the platinum in the dehydrogenation catalyst is 4.0 to 20.0.