Ring opening of naphthenic molecules over metal containing mesoporous Y zeolite catalyst

Mesoporous Y zeolite (Meso-Y) with a uniform mesopore was synthesized via pseudomorphic synthesis. The Meso-Y supported Ni-W catalyst (NiW/Meso-Y) was introduced as a catalyst for the selective ring opening of naphthenic rings. The catalytic test for the ring opening of naphthalene as a model compound of multi-ring aromatics was performed using a batch-type reaction system with both sulfided 20 wt% NiW/Meso-Y and NiW/Y catalysts under different reaction conditions. The catalytic results reveal that the Meso-Y supported NiW catalyst experiences a naphthalene conversion similar to the NiW/Y catalyst, but the NiW/Meso-Y catalyst has higher product yields for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene) and the middle distillate than those of the NiW/Y catalyst at a low reaction temperature. These results suggest that the mesoporosity of the NiW/Meso-Y catalyst is more advantageous for the ring opening reaction of multi-ring aromatics due to the easier access for the bulky molecules compared to the NiW/Y catalyst.