Novel (Co-, Ni)-calixarenes as Dispersed Catalysts for Heavy oil Upgrading

The goal of the proposed research is to develop oil soluble dispersed slurry catalyst(s) suitable for heavy oil upgrading. The use of dispersed slurry catalyst facilitates maximum interaction of oil and hydrogen on the catalyst surface. Consequently, superior hydrogenation activity and conversion of heavy residue into light products is envisaged as compared to conventional heterogeneous catalysts used in the fixed beds. The oil soluble catalysts can also minimize the coke formation when used as an additive along with a supported solid catalyst. In this regard, Co- and Ni-based p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes as oil-soluble dispersed catalyst precursors will be developed for enhancing the catalytic hydrogenation reactions involved in the upgrading of vacuum gas oil (VGO). Cobalt and nickel-based p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene will be synthesized and characterized through different techniques, including SEM-EDX, ICP, XRD, UV-Vis, FT-IR, and 1H NMR to confirm the coordination of the cations with the p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene ligand to form organometallic compounds. The synthesized complexes will be further analyzed to study their thermogravimetric and calorimetric behaviors to determine the conditions at which the ligands decompose and release the activate metals as catalyst. The synthesized catalysts will be evaluated in a batch autoclave batch reactor at various reaction temperature (420-450C), reaction time (30-90 mins) and concentration of catalyst precursors. The laboratory-scale batch autoclave reactor will allow quantitative assessments of heavy oil (VGO) conversion, product selectivity and the activity of the catalysts. All of the characterization equipment, and expertise required for this project are available at our laboratory and/or in the KFUPM campus. It is expected that innovation and implementation of a successful slurry-based heavy oil upgrading technology will allow Saudi Arabia to take lead in the development of more efficient petroleum technologies for refining the heavy oil into value-added clean transportation fuels. Through this process valuable R&D jobs will be created for graduates from the local and international universities. The results of the research are expected to publish in internationally refereed journals and conferences. The intellectual properties of the project will be protected through KFUPM. PI and the research team will be working on the filing of invention disclosures, intellectual property protection and development of commercialization plans with the assistance of KFUPM.