A series of NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts containing boron and phosphorus: Part II. Hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodesulfurization using heavy gas oil derived from Athabasca bitumen Original Research Article

The hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activity of a series of NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst containing boron (B) and phosphorus (P) were tested in a trickle bed reactor using heavy gas oil derived from Athabasca bitumen. Detailed characterization of these catalysts is given in Part I of this paper. Addition of B and P caused the formation of extremely strong acid sites on the catalyst and enhanced its HDN activity. The total (TN), basic (BN) and non-basic nitrogen (NBN) conversions increased from 61.9 to 78.0 wt.%, from 78.9 to 93.0 wt.% and from 52.8 to 70.0 wt.%, respectively, with the increase in B concentration from 0 to 1.7 wt.% to NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst. Similarly, TN, BN and NBN conversions increased from 61.9 to 78.4 wt.%, from 78.9 to 91.0 wt.%, and from 52.8 to 71.6 wt.% with the addition of 2.7 wt.% P. Though the addition of B and P to NiMo/Al2O3 catalyst did not show any significant effect on S conversion, the HDN and HDS activities of the catalyst containing 1.7 wt.% B and the one containing 2.7 wt.% P are comparable to those of a commercial catalyst. The activity over extended period indicated that catalysts L and K were more stable (lower deactivation rate) in terms of nitrogen removal activity than catalyst B (reference catalyst). On the other hand, the stability for sulfur removal was comparable with catalyst B. Selected catalysts after use were characterized using BET surface area, TPR, TPD and SEM techniques which were correlated further with their activities.