The most common component in the design of heterogeneous catalysts for oil refining and petrochemistry are aluminum oxides. Each type of hydrocarbon raw materials and technological process corresponds to the optimal characteristics of aluminum oxide supports and catalysts: specific surface area, pore size, phase and impurity compositions. Due to the trend towards import substitution, the research of domestic producers of aluminum hydroxide used for the synthesis of aluminum oxides is becoming more relevant. In this work, domestic industrial samples of aluminum hydroxides were studied by methods of X-ray phase analysis, thermogravimetry combined with differential scanning calorimetry, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption and elemental analysis. It is established that the objects of research are most often phase-inhomogeneous, in which impurities of iron, silicon and calcium are present. The influence of the degree of crystallization and the size of the coherent scattering regions of aluminum hydroxides, mainly with the structure of boehmite and, in some cases, containing bayerite, on the textural characteristics of the resulting aluminum oxides is shown.

The review paper considers main regularities of the oxidative chlorination of some unsaturated hydrocarbons: propylene, acetylene, butadiene-1,3 and benzene. It was shown that the implementation of such processes in the gas phase requires the presence of heterogeneous catalysts based on copper or palladium in the system. Depending on the process conditions, the products of additive or substitutive chlorination are formed. Kinetic equations and probable conversion mechanisms were proposed for the oxidative chlorination of propylene, acetylene and benzene. Prospects of the practical implementation of the oxidative chlorination of some unsaturated hydrocarbons were considered.

Polyfunctional Ni-containing catalysts supported on the B₂O₃-Al₂O₃ and MoO₃-Al₂O₃ were prepared by a sequential impregnation. They were evaluated in ethylene conversion to C₅₊ alkenes or propylene. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed CO, UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction and temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃. NiO/B₂O₃-Al₂O₃ samples containing Ni²⁺ cations chemically bonded to the acid support are the most effective catalysts for ethylene oligomerization. The NiO/MoO₃-Al₂O₃ catalyst activity in the ethylene conversion to propylene is related with the presence of ethylene dimerization active sites, i.e. Ni²⁺ cations bonded to the support acidic sites, and active sites of metathesis in the form of monomolybdate species.

The process of producing C₅₊ hydrocarbons, including unsaturated ones, on a zeolite-containing catalyst Сo-Al₂O₃ /SiO₂ /ZSM-5/Al₂O₃ in flow and flow-circulation modes of operation at a temperature of 250 °C, a pressure of 2.0 MPa, GHSV 1000 h^–1 has been studied , H₂ /CO ratio = 1.70 in the source gas and circulation ratios of 4, 8 and 16. It was determined that the process indicators (selectivity and productivity for C₅₊ products) pass through a maximum at a circulation ratio of 8. The use of gas circulation in comparison with flow synthesis mode allows you to regulate the composition of products. An increase in the circulation ratio in the range of 4–16 leads to an increase in the proportion of formed olefins with a hydrocarbon chain length containing 5–20 carbon atoms, from 53.9 wt.% up to 65.7 wt.%. The use of a zeolite-containing catalyst intensifies the formation of C₈–C₁₂ alkenes in comparison with the Co-Al₂O₃ /SiO₂ catalyst by 3,3 times – the content increases from 13,5 wt.% up to 44.2 wt.% at similar values of circulation ratio, pressure and H₂ /CO ratio = 1.70 in the source gas. It was found that as the circulation ratio increases, the rate of deactivation of the zeolite-containing catalyst decreases, which may be caused by a decrease in the partial pressure of water in the reaction volume.

In this work, steam reforming and autothermal reforming of methyl oleate (a model compound of biodiesel fuel) into synthesis gas on a structured Rh-containing catalyst were investigated. It has been shown that the conversion of methyl oleate proceeds through the stage of thermal cracking followed by the conversion of the resulting organic compounds with a shorter carbon skeleton. Based on the experimental results, a mathematical model was developed that takes into account the radial temperature gradient and represents an effective tool for quantitatively describing and optimizing the biodiesel conversion process.

In this work, mathematical modeling of the autothermal reforming of hexadecane, propane and methane on catalytic blocks of different geometric shapes was carried out. It was shown that the convex shape of the block towards the oncoming reaction flow can increase the maximum temperature in the frontal zone, while the concave shape contributes to a more uniform temperature distribution along the entire length of the catalytic layer. The work also investigated the effect of the reaction flow rate on the change in the temperature gradient, which can subsequently be used to prevent the formation of hot spots and catalyst deactivation. The results obtained can serve as the basis for future research in the field of autothermal reforming and optimization of the geometric parameters of catalysts for the conversion of hydrocarbon fuels into synthesis gas.

The study deals with the products of thermal processing of heavy oil in the presence of Ni- and Co-containing catalysts that are formed in situ from the mixture of corresponding salts with ethanol. In comparison with thermal cracking, in the catalytic process the yield of bright fractions increases from 51 to 63 % and the yield of coke decreases from 3 to 2 wt.%. In the case of mixed Ni and Сo catalyst, the least yields of gas (5 wt.%) and coke (0.1 wt.%) are observed. A decrease in the sulfur content occurs in the products of both thermal (by 17 %) and catalytic cracking (from 12 to 32 rel.%) predominantly due to its removal as gaseous products. The structuralgroup characteristics of the averaged asphaltene molecules were studied before and after heavy oil cracking. XRD of solid cracking products was used to identify Ni_0.96S, Ni₉S₈ and Co₉S₈ phases.

Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, Novosibirsk, Russia

The review focuses on jet fuel from microalgae biomass. Modern standards that biojet fuel obtained from microalgae biomass must meet are presented. The main ways of producing jet fuel from microalgae are considered, namely the processes of “oil to fuel”, “gas to fuel” and “carbohydrates to fuel”, as well as the production of this fuel along with other valuable products as a result of complex bioprocessing of biomass. Data on the potential for using biofuels from microalgae biomass in mixtures with traditional petroleum fuels are presented. The prospects for using this alternative fuel in modern aviation are considered.

This article is part of a series of reviews devoted to the using microalgae biomass to obtain widely used products. In this review, microalgae are considered as a potential and renewable feedstock for producing functional materials that have found their application in the polymer industry. Strong, stable and biodegradable bioplastics from microalgae are an alternative to traditional petroleumbased plastics. The ways of obtaining bioplastics from microalgae, using the biomass directly (polyhydroxyalkanoates, starch, cellulose, organic acids), as well as using it blending with other polymers, are considered. Data are presented on the prospects of using bioplastics from microalgae, including as a result of biomass biorefinery.