Effects of Titanocene Dichloride on Catalytic Hydrogenation of Hydrocarbons

Abstract

In an hydrotreatment processes of coal derived liquid, the problem of the catalyst deactivation by metal deposition has been received much attention. Titanium is one of the metals that survives the servere coal liquefaction process. It is present in coal derived liquid as an organometallic compound. Titanocene dichloride is a good representative of this compound. When titanocene dichloride is added to the coal derived liquid and hydrotreated, it shows an increase in hydrotreatment activities. In order to study this phenomena in pure compound, titanocene dichloride is added to Tetralin and a mixture of 5 wt% phenanthrene in Tetralin and hydrotreated in a two-stage trickle bed reactor over a commerical Ni-Mo/alumina catalyst. The effect of titanocene dichloride on the hydrogenation activity and the coking of the catalyst are measured and studied. The hydrogen to carbon ratio of the products increases when titanocene dichloride is added to the feedstock.