The present invention relates to a process for the production of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or ester, preferably ?,? ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids or esters, by the liquid phase reaction of formaldehyde or a suitable source thereof with a non-cyclic carboxylic acid ester in the presence of a basic metal salt.

An oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) catalyst composition comprising (i) SrCeYbO perovskite; and (ii) one or more oxides of a metal selected from the group consisting of strontium (Sr), cerium (Ce), and ytterbium (Yb), wherein the one or more oxides comprises a single metal oxide, mixtures of single metal oxides, a mixed metal oxide, mixtures of mixed metal oxides, mixtures of single metal oxides and mixed metal oxides, or combinations thereof.

This invention relates to a catalyst system comprising (a) at least one layer of a first catalyst comprising a dehydrogenation active metal on a solid support; (b) at least one layer of a second catalyst comprising a metal oxide; and (c) at least one layer of a third catalyst comprising a transition metal on an inorganic support; wherein the at least one layer of a second catalyst is sandwiched between the at least one layer of a first catalyst and the at least one layer of a third catalyst; and a process comprising contacting a hydrocarbon feed with the catalyst system.

Disclosed is a catalyst and methods for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction using elemental sulfur as a soft oxidant. The process can provide ethylene from methane with high conversion and selectivity.

The invention relates to an oligomerization catalyst comprising nickel oxide and silica-alumina support material and to a process for oligomerization of C.sub.3- to C.sub.6-olefins using the oligomerization catalyst.

An oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) catalyst composition characterized by the overall general formula Sr.sub.1.0Ce.sub.aYb.sub.bO.sub.c, wherein a is from about 0.01 to about 2.0, wherein b is from about 0.01 to about 2.0, wherein the sum (a+b) is not 1.0, and wherein c balances the oxidation states. A method of making an oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) catalyst composition comprising (a) forming an oxide precursor mixture, wherein the oxide precursor mixture comprises one or more compounds comprising a Sr cation, one or more compounds comprising a Ce cation, and one or more compounds comprising a Yb cation, and wherein the oxide precursor mixture is characterized by a molar ratio of Sr:(Ce+Yb) that is not about 1:1, and (b) calcining at least a portion of the oxide precursor mixture to form the OCM catalyst composition, wherein the OCM catalyst composition comprises SrCeYbO perovskite in an amount of less than about 75.0 wt. %.

The invention discloses a binder-free high strength and low steam-to-oil ratio ethylbenzene dehydrogenation catalyst, which is characterized by comprising the following components in percentage by weight: (a) 60-85% Fe.sub.2O.sub.3; (b) 3-25% K.sub.2O; (c) 0.1-5% MoO.sub.3; (d) 3-20% CeO.sub.2; (e) 0.1-5% CaO; (f) 0.1-5% Na.sub.2O; (g) 0.1-5% MnO.sub.2, wherein the weight ratio of sodium oxide to manganese dioxide is 0.1-10, and no binder is added during the preparation of the catalyst. The low steam-to-oil ratio ethylbenzene dehydrogenation catalyst provided by the present invention contains no binder and maintains high strength, and has high activity and stability at low steam-to-oil ratio.

An integrated process for the production of propene from a mixture of alcohols obtained by IBE (Isopropanol-Butanol-Ethanol) fermentation from at least one renewable source of carbon is disclosed. The process is characterized by dehydration of the alcohols in order to generate ethene, propene and linear butenes, respectively. The olefin mixture is then directed to an isomerization bed in order to generate 2-butene from 1-butene, followed by a metathesis bed to react ethene and 2-butenes to generate additional propene. This process exhibits a yield in carbon moles higher than 90% propene with respect to the alcohols produced in the fermentation step.

The invention relates to a composition containing a catalyst having high catalytic stability for conducting oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) at high carbon efficiency, while improving both methane and oxygen conversion. Particularly, the inventive catalyst is a metal oxide supported catalyst, which contains an alkali metal promoter and a mixed metal oxide component having at least one alkali earth metal and at least one rare earth metal. The metal oxide support is selected in a manner, such that at least a portion of the metal oxide support is capable of reacting with at least a part or whole of the alkali metal promoter under conditions of calcination during catalyst preparation. The invention further provides a method for preparing such a metal oxide supported catalyst composition, using a calcination process. Additionally, the invention further describes a process for producing C.sub.2+ hydrocarbons, using such a catalyst composition.

An alkylation catalyst having a zeolite catalyst component and a binder component providing mechanical support for the zeolite catalyst component is disclosed. The binder component is an ion-modified binder that can include metal ions selected from the group consisting of Co, Mn, Ti, Zr, V, Nb, K, Cs, Ga, B, P, Rb, Ag, Na, Cu, Mg, Fe, Mo, Ce, and combinations thereof. The metal ions reduce the number of acid sites on the zeolite catalyst component. The metal ions can range from 0.1 to 50 wt % based on the total weight of the ion-modified binder. Optionally, the ion-modified binder is present in amounts ranging from 1 to 80 wt % based on the total weight of the catalyst.