The present disclosure relates to methods for selectively hydrogenating acetylene, to methods for starting up a selective hydrogenation reactor, and to hydrogenation catalysts useful in such methods. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a method for selectively hydrogenating acetylene, the method comprising contacting a catalyst composition with a process gas. The catalyst composition comprises a porous support, palladium, and one or more ionic liquids. The process gas includes ethylene, present in the process gas in an amount of at least 20 mol. %; and acetylene, present in the process gas in an amount of at least 1 ppm. At least 90% of the acetylene present in the process gas is hydrogenated, and the selective hydrogenation is conducted without thermal runaway. Notably, the process gas is contacted with the catalyst at a gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) based on total catalyst volume in one bed or multiple beds of at least 7,100 h.sup.1.

The invention relates to an efficient, high-throughput method of converting monoterpenes to high performance aviation fuel blendstocks. The method is a one pot, two-step process that includes a dehydration step followed by a hydrogenation step. Both steps can proceed without the use of solvents. Use of biosynthetically generated monoterpenes by this method produces sustainable aviation fuel blendstocks having applications that include use as a full-performance or an ultra-performance jet fuel blendstock.

The present disclosure provides methods to produce para-xylene, toluene, and other compounds from renewable sources (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, starch, sugar) and ethylene in the presence of a catalyst. For example, cellulose and/or hemicellulose may be converted into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), which may be converted into para-xylene by cycloaddition of ethylene to DMF. Para-xylene can then be oxidized to form terephthalic acid.

This invention provides a method for preparing ethylene glycol by hydrolyzing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. The method comprises passing a fresh raw material containing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and water through a reaction zone loaded with a solid acid catalyst to react under the following conditions; separating the reacted mixture via a separation system to obtain a target product of ethylene glycol, by-products containing methanol, dimethyl ether and ethylene glycol-based derivatives, and an unreacted raw material containing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and water; passing the target product of ethylene glycol into a product collection system; and passing methyl alcohol and dimethyl ether in the by-products into a by-product collection system; and after being mixed with the fresh raw materials containing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and water, the ethylene glycol-based derivatives in the by-products and the unreacted raw material containing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether and water being recycled into the reaction zone, to realize the preparation of ethylene glycol by hydrolyzing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. This invention provides a new process to realize the preparation of ethylene glycol by hydrolyzing ethylene glycol monomethyl ether. And in the method, the catalyst has long life and good stability.

The present invention provides an industrial method for producing 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene with a small content of 1,3-dimethylnaphthalene. In this method for producing 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, 5-phenyl-2-hexene is cyclized in the presence of acid catalysts to prepare crude 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, the crude 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene is dehydrogenized to obtain a crude 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, and the crude 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene is purified by distillation. In this method, the concentration of 1,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene in 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene is 1.0% or less with respect to the 1,4-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene.

A method for producing alkyl substituted benzene includes (a) providing a starting material selecting from the group consisting of furan, an alkyl substituted furan, 2-methylfuran, 2,3-dimethylfuran, 2,4-dimethylfuran, 2,5-dimethylfuran, 2,5-hexanedione, and combinations thereof, and (b) subjecting the starting material to a cycloaddition reaction with a monoene in the absence of solvent and in the presence of the metal triflate catalyst to produce an alkyl substituted benzene.

The invention describes a novel nickel-based composition. The invention also concerns the use of said composition as a catalytic composition in an olefin oligomerization process.

This disclosure relates to compositions that include one or more aromatic monoesters derived from branched Guerbet alcohols and aromatic acids, or from branched Guerbet acids and aromatic alcohols. The compositions are suitable as lubricant base stocks.

A continuous mixing reactor has an outer shell having a cylindrical portion with a central section and two opposite conical end sections; a circulation tube within the shell so that an annular passage forms between the shell and the circulation tube; an impeller within and positioned adjacent to one end of the circulation tube; and heat exchange means penetrating the outer shell and extending into the end of the circulation tube opposite the impeller. The outer shell has a hydraulic head forming one end of the shell, a heat exchange medium header at the opposite end of the shell. The circulation tube nearer the heat exchange medium header terminates at or downstream from a tangential plane extending through the shell at the intersection of the central section and the conical end section of the cylindrical portion of shell. The reactor is useful in an alkylation process.

A method for reducing the mutagenicity of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC's) having one or more bay regions which involves alkylating the PAC's with an alkylating agent in the presence of a catalyst to lower the mutagenicity down to as much as about 0.1. The resulting alkylated polycyclic aromatic compounds retain their physical and chemical properties for safe industrial use including as rubber processing oils, inks, etc.