Process for treating a carrier, a process for preparing a catalyst, the catalyst, and use of the catalyst

1. A process for treating an alumina carrier, or a precursor thereof, to at least partly remove impurities from the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, comprising:

contacting the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, with a treatment solution comprising a salt in a concentration of from 0.0001 molar to 0.05 molar at a temperature of greater than 40° C. wherein the salt comprises a cation and an anion, and wherein the cation is selected from ammonium, organic cations and combinations thereof, and wherein the anion is selected from organic anions, inorganic carboxylates, oxyanions of elements from Groups IIIA through VIIA of the Periodic Table of Elements, and combinations thereof; and

separating at least part of the treatment solution from the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof.

2. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anion is an oxyanion selected from borate, metaborate, tetraborate, tetrafluoroborate, carbonate, hydrogencarbonate, chlorate, perchlorate, bromate, perbromate, phosphate, metaphosphate, orthophosphate, hydrogenphosphate, dihydrogenphosphate, fluorophosphates, phosphite, hydrogenphosphite, sulfate, disulfate, hydrogensulfate, thiosulfate, sulfite, disulfite, hydrogensulfite, thiosulfite, nitrate, nitrite, and combinations thereof.

3. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anion is selected from nitrate, nitrite, acetate and combination thereof.

4. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anion is nitrate.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cation is an alkyl ammonium cation.

6. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cation is ammonium.

7. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the salt is at most 0.03 molar.

8. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the salt is in the range of from 0.001 to 0.03 molar.

9. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the salt is in the range of from 0.0015 to 0.009 molar, and the mass ratio of the treatment solution to the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, is at least 1.25.

10. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises contacting the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, with the treatment solution for at least 5 minutes at a temperature in the range of from 75° C. to 120° C., and subsequently drying the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, at a temperature of at most 500° C.

11. The process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the process further comprises:

subsequently contacting the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof, with an additional treatment solution comprising a salt, wherein the salt comprises an anion and a cation; and

separating at least part of the additional treatment solution from the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof.

12. A process for preparing a catalyst comprising:

contacting an alumina carrier, or a precursor thereof, with a treatment solution comprising a salt in a concentration of from 0.0001 molar to 0.05 molar at a temperature of greater than 40° C., wherein the salt comprises a cation and an anion, and wherein the cation is selected from ammonium, organic cations and combinations thereof, and wherein the anion is selected from organic anions, inorganic carboxylates, oxyanions of elements from Group IIIA through VIIA of the Periodic Table of Elements, and combinations thereof;

separating at least part of the treatment solution from the alumina carrier, or the precursor thereof; and

subsequently depositing silver on the alumina carrier.

13. The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein silver is deposited on the alumina carrier in a quantity of from 10 to 500 g/kg, relative to the weight of the catalyst.

14. The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the process further comprises depositing on the alumina carrier one or more further elements selected from nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, boron, fluorine, Group IA metals, Group IIA metals, rhenium, molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, titanium, hafnium, zirconium, vanadium, manganese, thallium, thorium, tantalum, niobium, gallium, germanium combinations thereof.

15. The process as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the process further comprises depositing on the alumina carrier one or more of rhenium, molybdenum, tungsten, Group IA metals, nitrate-forming compounds, nitrite-forming compounds, and combinations thereof.

16. A process for preparing ethylene oxide comprising:

preparing the catalyst according to the process as claimed in claim 12 ; and

reacting ethylene with oxygen in the presence of the catalyst.

17. The process as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the process further comprises:

converting ethylene oxide into ethylene glycol ethylene glycol ether, or ethanol amine.