The present invention relates generally to catalysts and methods for use in olefin production. More particularly, the present invention relates to novel amorphously supported single-center, Lewis acid metal ions and use of the same as catalysts.

Cu-based nanostructures have excellent catalytic, electronic, and plasmonic performance due to their unique chemical and physical properties. A range of Cu materials including foil, spherical nanoparticles, nanowires, and nanocubes have been explored for catalyzing CO.sub.2 electroreduction. However, practical application of the CO.sub.2 electroreduction reaction requires Cu catalysts hold a high percentage of exposed surface atoms for improved product selectivity. The present disclosure describes a high temperature reduction method to prepare Cu nanosheets with size range from about 40 nm to about 13 μm in a hydrophobic system. The purity of trioctyphosphine (TOP) plays an important role for shape-controlled synthesis of Cu nanosheets. The morphology evolution was investigated by adjusting the feeding molar ratio of TOP/Cu-tetradecylamine complex. The Cu nanosheets formed by the methods of the present disclosure have high surface area and stability in solution for more than three months. These Cu nanosheets have applications in reducing CO.sub.2 to fuels.

The present invention provides a process for the hydrogenation of polyunsaturated hydrocarbon compounds, in particular di-olefins and alkynes, more particularly di-olefins, said process comprising contacting a feed comprising one or more polyunsaturated hydrocarbon compounds with a catalyst comprising copper and carbon in the presence of hydrogen, preferably wherein the catalyst is a copper catalyst on a carbon-containing support. The present invention also provides a process for producing a copper catalyst on a carbon-containing support and the use of a copper catalyst on a carbon-containing support to increase the selectivity towards di-olefin hydrogenation over mono-olefin hydrogenation in a process for hydrogenation of one or more di-olefins.

The invention relates to a process for the production of an alkene by alkane oxidative dehydrogenation, comprising: (a) subjecting a stream comprising an alkane to oxidative dehydrogenation conditions, comprising contacting the alkane with oxygen in the presence of a catalyst comprising a mixed metal oxide, resulting in a stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane, water, carbon dioxide, unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and optionally an alkyne; (b) removing water from at least part of the stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane, water, carbon dioxide, unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and optionally an alkyne resulting from step (a), resulting in a stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane, carbon dioxide, unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and optionally alkyne; (c) removing unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and optionally alkyne from at least part of the stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane, carbon dioxide, unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and optionally alkyne resulting from step (b), wherein carbon monoxide and optionally alkyne are oxidized into carbon dioxide, resulting in a stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane and carbon dioxide; (d) optionally removing carbon dioxide from at least part of the stream comprising alkene, unconverted alkane in and carbon dioxide resulting from step (c), resulting in a stream comprising alkene and unconverted alkane; (e) optionally separating at least part of the stream comprising alkene and unconverted alkane resulting from step (d), into a stream comprising alkene and a stream comprising unconverted alkane; (f) optionally recycling unconverted alkane from at least part of the stream comprising unconverted alkane resulting from step (e), to step (a).

Bimetallic catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) conversion of lignin into useful hydrocarbons are provided. The catalysts are bifunctional bimetallic ruthenium catalysts Ru-M/X.sup.+Y comprising a metal M such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) or zinc (Zn), zeolite Y and cation X.sup.+ (e.g. H.sup.+) associated with zeolite Y.

Systems for preparing butenes are provided. The systems can include a reactor inlet coupled to both a reactor and at least one reactant reservoir; at least one of the reactant reservoirs containing one or both of an aldehyde and/or ethanol; a catalyst within the reactor, the catalyst comprising a metal component and an acidic support material; and a reactor outlet operationally configured to convey a butene-rich reaction product to a product reservoir. Methods for preparing butenes are also provided. The methods can include exposing one or both of ethanol and/or an aldehyde to a catalyst comprising a metal component and an acidic support to form a butene-rich product that comprises one or both of 1-butene and/or 2-butene.

A process for converting a feed stream having carbon to C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 olefins, includes introducing a feed stream including methane and oxygen to a first reaction zone, reacting the methane and oxygen in the first reaction zone to form a first reaction zone product stream having a mixture of C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 alkanes, transporting the mixture of C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 alkanes to a second reaction zone, introducing a fresh stream of at least one of ethane and propane to the second reaction zone, converting the C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 alkanes to C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 olefins in the second reaction zone, producing one or more product streams in the second reaction zone, where a sum of the one or more product streams includes C.sub.2 to C.sub.5 olefins, and producing a recycle stream comprising hydrogen in the second reaction zone, where the recycle stream is transported to the first reaction zone.

A method of producing a fuel additive includes passing a feed stream comprising C4 hydrocarbons through a methyl tertiary butyl ether unit producing a first process stream; passing the first process stream through a selective butadiene hydrogenation unit transforming greater than or equal to 90% by weight of the butadiene to 1-butene and 2-butene, preferably greater than or equal to 93%, preferably, greater than or equal to 94%, more preferably, greater than or equal to 95% producing a second process stream; passing the second process stream through a hydration unit producing a third process stream and the fuel additive; passing the third process stream through a total hydrogenation unit producing a hydrogenated stream; and passing the hydrogenated stream to a cracker unit.

A method of producing a fuel additive includes: passing a first process stream comprising C4 hydrocarbons through a methyl tertiary butyl ether synthesis unit producing a first recycle stream; passing the first recycle stream through a hydration unit producing the fuel additive and a second recycle stream; passing the second recycle stream through a recycle hydrogenation unit and a deisobutanizer unit; and recycling the second recycle stream to the methyl tertiary butyl ether synthesis unit.

According to one or more embodiments presently disclosed, a method of catalytically converting polystyrene may include contacting polystyrene with a catalyst to form a product comprising ethylbenzene. The catalyst may include oxidized iron, oxidized cobalt, and oxidized copper. The catalyst may further include a mesoporous support material with pores having an average pore diameter of from 2 nm to 50 nm.