Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process incentivize the search for alternative reaction pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. According to the present invention, ethylene yields as high as 68% were obtained with a quartz open tube reactor without the use of a catalyst or a cofed stream of oxidizing agents. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. Reactor designs can be optimized to improve the conversion of ethane to ethylene via non-oxidative dehydrogenation, an approach which shows promise for decentralized production of ethylene from natural gas deposits.

Steam cracking of ethane, a non-catalytic thermochemical process, remains the dominant means of ethylene production. The severe reaction conditions and energy expenditure involved in this process incentivize the search for alternative reaction pathways and reactor designs which maximize ethylene yield while minimizing cost and energy input. According to the present invention, ethylene yields as high as 68% were obtained with a quartz open tube reactor without the use of a catalyst or a cofed stream of oxidizing agents. The open tube reactor design promotes simplicity, low cost, and negligible coke formation. Reactor designs can be optimized to improve the conversion of ethane to ethylene via non-oxidative dehydrogenation, an approach which shows promise for decentralized production of ethylene from natural gas deposits.

A process for oxidative dehydrogenation of a hydrocarbon to produce an olefin and water may include contacting, in a fluidized bed, the hydrocarbon with a particulate material, which may include at least one oxygen transfer agent (OTA) and at least one fluidization enhancing additive. During at least a portion of contacting the hydrocarbon with the particulate material, the fluidized bed may be at a temperature at or above a melting point of one or more materials of the oxygen transfer agent. Further, during at least a portion of contacting the hydrocarbon with the particulate material, a surface of at least a portion of the OTA may comprise a molten layer. The fluidization enhancing additive may not undergo reduction in the fluidized bed during contacting the hydrocarbon with the particulate material and may be present in an amount that maintains sufficient fluidization of the particulate material.

The present disclosure relates to an ionic liquid composition and a process for its preparation. The process of the present disclosure is simple, single pot and efficient process for preparing the ionic liquid composition which is effective in a Friedel Craft reaction like, alkylation reaction, trans-alkylation, and acylation. The present disclosure envisages an ionic liquid composition comprising at least one metal hydroxide; at least one metal halide; and at least one solvent. Also envisaged is a process for preparing an ionic liquid composition. The process comprises mixing in a reaction vessel, at least one metal hydroxide and at least one metal halide in the presence of at least one solvent under a nitrogen atmosphere and continuous stirring followed by cooling under continuous stirring to obtain the ionic liquid composition.

Processes, catalysts, and reactor systems for reforming heavy aromatic compounds (C.sub.11+) into C.sub.6-8 aromatic compounds are disclosed. Also disclosed are processes, catalysts, and reactor systems for producing aromatic compounds and liquid fuels from oxygenated hydrocarbons, such as carbohydrates, sugars, sugar alcohols, sugar degradation products, and the like.

A catalytic composite comprises a first component selected from Group VIII noble metal components and mixtures thereof, a second component selected from one or more of alkali and alkaline earth metal components, and a third component selected from one or more of tin, germanium, lead, indium, gallium, and thallium, all supported on an alumina support comprising delta alumina having an X-ray diffraction pattern comprising at least three 2θ diffraction angle peaks between 32.0° and 70.0°. The at least three 2θ diffraction angle peaks comprise a first 2θ diffraction angle peak of 32.7°±0.4°, a second 2θ diffraction angle peak of 50.8°±0.4°, and a third 2θ diffraction angle peak of 66.7°±0.8°, wherein the second 2θ diffraction angle peak has an intensity of less than about 0.06 times the intensity of the third 2θ diffraction angle peak.

Processes for upgrading a hydrocarbon. The process can include (I) contacting a hydrocarbon-containing feed with a catalyst that can include a Group 8-10 element or a compound thereof disposed on a support to effect one or more of dehydrogenation, dehydroaromatization, and dehydrocyclization of at least a portion of the hydrocarbon-containing feed to produce a coked catalyst and an effluent. The process can also include (II) contacting at least a portion of the coked catalyst with an oxidant to effect combustion of at least a portion of the coke to produce a regenerated catalyst. The process can also include (III) contacting an additional quantity of the hydrocarbon-containing feed with at least a portion of the regenerated catalyst. A cycle time from the contacting the hydrocarbon-containing feed with the catalyst in step (I) to the contacting the additional hydrocarbon-containing feed with the regenerated catalyst in step (III) can be ≤5 hours.

Increase propane dehydrogenation activity of a partially deactivated dehydrogenation catalyst by heating the partially deactivated catalyst to a temperature of at least 660° C., conditioning the heated catalyst in an oxygen-containing atmosphere and, optionally, stripping molecular oxygen from the conditioned catalyst.

A process for isomerizing an aromatic cut containing at least one aromatic compound containing eight carbon atoms per molecule is described, comprising bringing said cut into contact with at least one catalyst comprising at least one metal from group VIII of the periodic classification of the elements, at least one zeolitic support comprising a zeolite selected from zeolites with structure type EUO and MOR, used alone or as a mixture, and at least one matrix, such that the specific surface area of the matrix in the zeolitic support of said catalyst is in the range 5 to 200 m.sup.2/g.

The present invention relates to the field of isobutylene preparation. Disclosed are a catalyst and preparation method thereof, and method for preparing isobutylene by applying the same; the catalyst has a core-shell structure, the core an amorphous silica-alumina particle and/or an aggregate molding thereof, and the shell aluminum oxide comprising silicon and tin; the weight ratio of aluminum oxide comprising silicon and tin to amorphous silica-alumina is 1:60-1:3; in the aluminum oxide comprising silicon and tin, on basis of the weight of aluminum oxide comprising silicon and tin, the content of silicon is 0.5-2 wt %, and of tin is 0.2-1 wt %. The catalyst of the present invention is used to catalyze a mixture of MTBE and TBA to prepare isobutylene, enabling the MTBE cleavage reaction and TBA dehydration reactions to be conducted simultaneously to generate isobutylene, achieving higher conversion rates of TBA and MTBE, and higher selectivity for generating isobutylene.