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Selective ring opening of naphthenic molecules in oil upgrading should result in no loss in molecular weight. Benzocyclopentane (indan) ring opening was studied under hydrogen atmospheric pressure at 609 K over poly-(vinylpyrrolidone)-stabilized Ru, Ir and Pd monometallic and Ru–Ir and Ru–Pd bimetallic nanocatalysts prepared by simultaneous reductions. The particle size (mostly within 2 nm) and their monodispersity were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated the bimetallics' alloy structure. Pd catalysts displayed the lowest activity in the ring opening; Ru showed the highest formation of undesired o-xylene and lights. Monometallic Ir displayed the highest activity and selectivity toward 2-ethyltoluene and n-propylbenzene. In bimetallic structures, higher Ir content led to improved catalytic performance. Next to the monometallic Ir catalyst, the newly developed Ru1Ir4/γ-Al2O3 catalyst (with 1 : 4 molar ratio of Ru to Ir) displayed superior single cleavage selectivity as well as lower cracking activity compared to industrial Pt–Ir catalysts at a comparable indan conversion. The study can pave the way in the development of Pt-free Ru-containing catalysts with narrow size distributions for selective ring opening, especially taking into consideration a possibility of their higher S-resistance as compared to the Pt catalysts.
Shen et al. (2012) studied this question.