Iranian Researchers Present New Method to Make Nanocatalysts for Propylene Production Process
Fatemeh Gashoul Darrehsibi, one of the researchers, said that the title of the project is ‘manufacturing and assessing nanocatalysts based on chromium and gallium with atomic layering method for the dehydrogenation process of propane in the presence of carbon dioxide as a mild oxidizer for the production of propylene’.
“The most common method for production of light olefins is cracking with steam and catalytic cracking of naphtha fluid bed, light diesel and other petroleum by-products, and due to the impurity of the propylene resulting from these methods, subsequent separation steps are necessary to obtain pure propylene,” she said.
“On the other hand, the high energy consumption of these processes, the reduction of oil reserves and the increase in oil prices have led the petrochemical industry to find an alternative method of feed that is much more economical with a higher conversion rate,” Gashoul Darrehsibi said.
She noted that one of the advantages of dehydrogenation technologies is the major production of olefin as the input feed, adding, “Catalytic dehydrogenation of propane can be carried out in two oxidative or non-oxidative ways; nevertheless, the use of oxygen as an oxidizer causes excessive oxidation of the feed and the production of a wide range of desirable and undesirable products; therefore, the use of carbon dioxide as a mild and available oxidizer can also settle this problem.”
In a relevant development in September, experts at an Iranian nanotechnology company succeeded in producing different types of high-quality catalysts used in oil industry.
Nazanin Nasrollahi, a research and development (R&D) expert of Exir Novin Farayand Asia company, explained about the application of nanocatalysts in oil industry and the products of her company.
“Exir Novin Farayand Asia company produces all kinds of catalysts containing precious metals needed by the petrochemical and refinery industries,” she added.
“These materials include catalysts for refinery isomerization units to produce Euro 4 and Euro 5 gasoline, catalysts for naphtha reforming units, paraffin dehydrogenation catalysts, catalysts for isomerization of xylenes, conversion catalyst of C9-C10 for conversion to aromatic compounds (BTX), benzene alkylation catalyst, ethylene oxidation catalyst, hydrotreating catalysts NHT, GHT, KHT, RCD, hydrocracking catalysts and hydrogenation catalysts of olefins, diolefins and acetylene,” Nasrollahi said.
4155/v
