Synthesis of Gasoline and Kerosene by Heterogeneously Catalyzed (Co‐)Oligomerization of Ethylene, Propylene, and Iso‐Butylene

The heterogeneously catalyzed co-oligomerization of ethylene, propylene, and iso-butylene was studied focusing on the production of gasoline and kerosene. Silica-alumina catalysts were employed with and without nickel loading. Initially, the homo-oligomerization of iso-butylene was studied employing a series of catalysts and varying reaction conditions. Due to the high reactivity of iso-butylene, conversion was almost quantitative and selectivities to kerosene reached 96% while selectivities to gasoline reached 83%. Subsequently, co-oligomerization of iso-butylene with ethylene and propylene was investigated. Employing nickel-loaded silica-alumina catalysts, all olefin species can be converted, despite the very different reactivity. Selectivities to kerosene and gasoline were up to 92% and 83%, respectively. It is shown that iso-butylene can be easily separated from such olefin mixtures by oligomerization, due to its much higher reactivity compared to propylene and ethylene. A long-term run lasting for 196 h showed continuous deactivation of the catalyst regarding the conversion of ethylene and propylene, whereas conversion of iso-butylene remained close to 100%. ... mehrAs a result, conversion of iso-butylene dominates and molecular branching increases, as indicated by the isoindex. It is shown that the catalyst can be easily reactivated by heating and catalytic performance can be fully restored.