n-Octane reforming over modified catalysts: II. The role of Au, Ir and Pd Original Research Article

A Pt-Sn/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was modified by gold, iridium and palladium using metal adsorption technique. The parent and the modified catalysts were tested in n-octane reforming under conditions close to industrial applications. The added gold and iridium slightly increased the activity of the parent catalyst and decreased the temperature dependence of the liquid yield. Less isoparaffin and more aromatic hydrocarbon was found in the liquid product of the modified catalysts than in the product of the reference catalyst, while the octane numbers were similar to the reference ones. The gold-modified catalyst produced almost identical Cn distribution at both temperatures. On the palladium-modified catalyst the conversion, the liquid yield and the octane number is somewhat poorer than on the reference one. The product distribution is, however, favorable: the aromatic content decreased while the isoparaffin content increased.