The paper deals with experimental studies of cyclopentane synthesis from dicyclopentadiene via reactive distillation. In the reactive distillation column, there are separate zones for the reaction with downward concurrent flow in the catalyst bed and for purification of the reaction products via distillation. The influence of the process pressure and molar ratio H₂ : C₁₀H₁₂ on the conversion was studied. The temperature elevation in the catalyst bed was shown to increase the proportion of dicyclopentadiene in the reaction products. The obtained experimental results demonstrated the high conversion and selectivity of the continuous synthesis of cyclopentane from dicyclopentadiene in reactive distillation units.

Deterioration of the quality of oilstock makes it an urgent problem to use non-traditional hydrocarbon materials (heavy oil, bitumen, residues etc.). Processing of heavy oilstock (HOS) needs new methods that would be effective for the yields of light fractions, suppression of coke formation, and saturation of the liquid products with hydrogen. At the same time, expenses of HOS extraction and transportation are several times as high as those of light and middle oils that makes it necessary to minimize the capital and operational costs for the process. The review paper integrates for the first time the results of the studies of catalytic steam reforming of HOS as a potential alternative of the traditional processes for HOS upgrading based on decreasing the carbon content (thermal cracking, visbreaking, catalytic cracking) or on the saturation of liquid products with hydrogen (hydrocracking). Under discussion are main distinctions of the process from HOS upgrading with water (hydropyrolysis in sub- or supercritical water) as well as specific features of the catalytic steam cracking as dependent on the process parameters and catalysttype and putative mechanisms of the participation of water in the process.

Variations in the concentrations of oxide sites in the traditional δ-Al₂O₃ and composite δ-Al₂O₃/Ni-HPCM (highly porous permeable cellular material) supports before and after supporting the active component were studied in order to identify the reasons for the formation of different states of palladium species in these oxides. It was established that the contents of proton-donor OH groups and aproton Lewis sites were 316 and 575 mmol/g in δ-Al₂O₃ that was as high as 1.4 and 1.6 times, respectively, of those in δ-Al₂O₃/Ni- HPCM, while the quantities of Lewis sites with QCO ≥ 35.0 kJ/mol and OH fragments bonded to penta-coordinated aluminium cations in δ-Al₂O₃ were 1.8 times of those in alumina on Ni- HPCM. After supporting palladium, the loss in number of these sites in δ-Al₂O₃ was ca. 1.7 times of that in Pd/δ-Al₂O₃/Ni- HPCM. This fact can argue for a stronger interaction of palladium species with the surface of the traditional δ-Al₂O₃ and indicate a wider range of charge states of palladium in the Pd/δ-Al₂O₃ catalyst. The latter leads to a lower selectivity of hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene in the presence of Pd/δ-Al₂O₃ compared to that in the presence of Pd/δ-Al₂O₃/Ni- HPCM.

The process of supercritical fluid extractive regeneration of the ion-exchange catalyst KU-2FPP was studied. The use of pure supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) and the one modified with a polar additive (H₂O) as the extractant in the process at T = 383÷393 K and P = 15÷25 MPa provided an effective removal of non-polar organic compounds and the occurrence of the side carboxylation reaction to form dialkylphthalate. The side reaction was supposed to bear responsibility for the ineffective regeneration in the presence of SC-CO₂ as the extractant. The application of supercritical propane-butane mixture as the extractant (T = 393 K, P = 10÷15 MPa) allowed the catalyst activity to be restored to the level appropriate for the industrial application.

The activities of commercial and laboratory samples of catalysts for fluidized bed such as СuO/Al₂O₃, MgO-Cr₂O₃/Al₂O₃, CuO-Cr₂O₃/Al₂O₃, CuO/Al₂O₃MgO-Cr₂O₃ were compared in the model reactions of oxidation of CO and CH₄. Aluminium-copper-magnesium-chromium catalysts were established to be most promising for combustion of gaseous fuel and gas mixtures including low-percentage methane mixtures. The catalyst activity to the model reaction of methane oxidation was studied to show that the optimal magnesium content falls into the range of 1–2 wt %. It was discovered that the metals are in the most stable states (Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺, Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺) on the surface of these catalysts. The compositions, textural and strength properties of the catalysts were characterized using a number of physicochemical methods (BET, XPS, X-ray, and X-ray fluorescence analysis).

Properties of palladium modified catalyst based on sulfated zirconia (IC-Pd-SZ) were studied in respect of the skeletal isomerization of n-hexane and commercial light gasoline fractions. The catalyst was prepared via thermal decomposition of aqueous solutions of ammonia-carbonate complexes of zirconium. Against the traditional preparation procedures, the developed method allowed nanodisperse catalysts with larger surface area and porosity to be synthesized. The Pd-SZ catalytic activity to skeletal isomerization of hydrocarbons was shown to depend on the content of sulfate ions, specific surface area, and content of the alumina binder. Comparative testing of the catalysts – developed in the Institute of Catalysis and its commercial analogue – revealed a higher activity of the catalyst prepared by thermal decomposition of zirconium oxycarbonate that allows the process temperature to be reduced and the octane number of the isomerizate to be additionally enhanced.

The properties of iron group metals (Fe, Co, Ni) supported on mesoporous carbon Sibunit are studied regarding the carbon formation during catalytic pyrolysis of high-molecular alkanes (hexane, undecane, hexadecane). With the catalyst NiO/Sibunit, the rate of the carbon formation at 500–600 °C decreases in the series hexane > undecane > hexadecane. The carbon is deposited as carbon nanofibers. The series of the activity of the reduced catalyst to the carbon production is: 10%NiО/Sibunit > 10%CoO/Sibunit > 10%Fe₂О₃/Sibunit. The morphology of carbon produced over the 10%CoO/Sibunit catalyst depends on the metal particle dispersion: multilayer carbon nanotubes (MCNT) grow on 10–30 nm particles and carbon nanofibers on the particles larger than 30 nm in size. XRD studies of the Fe₂O₃/Sibunit catalyst after the reaction showed that the active component can be in the form of iron metal and iron carbide, the proportion of each phase being dependent on the dispersion of the active phase particles. The particles of 10–30 nm in size produce iron metal, and the larger particles give iron carbide. It is concluded that the iron carbide particles are responsible for the formation of carbon nanofibers and iron particles for the formation of MCNT.

The studies were aimed at determination of the optimal composition of the nutritive medium to provide the maximal yield of bioethanol upon alcohol fermentation of the enzymatic hydrolyzate of lignocellulose material produced at the pilot scale via treatment of oat bran covering with diluted nitric acid. Biotechnological stages of saccharification and fermentation were achieved using available enzymatic agents CelloLux-A and BrewZyme BGX and ACCM (All-Russian Collection of Commercial Microorganisms) producer Saccharomyces сerevisiae Y-1693 that was stable to inhibiting action of hydrolyzates. The composition of the nutritive medium was determined to provide the yield of bioethanol as high as 89.9 % of the theoretical level that is 8.4 % higher of that in the presence of the native hydrolyzate. This nutritive medium contained 1.83 g/L ammonium sulfate, 0.98 g/L potassium monophosphate, 6.47 g/L yeastrel.