Chromium-catalyzed production of alcohols from hydrocarbons
Processes for converting a hydrocarbon reactant into an alcohol compound and/or a carbonyl compound are disclosed, and these processes include the steps of forming a supported chromium catalyst comprising chromium in a hexavalent oxidation state, irradiating the hydrocarbon reactant and the supported chromium catalyst with a light beam at a wavelength in the UV-visible spectrum to reduce at least a portion of the supported chromium catalyst to form a reduced chromium catalyst, and hydrolyzing the reduced chromium catalyst to form a reaction product comprising the alcohol compound and/or the carbonyl compound. The supported chromium catalyst can be formed by heat treating a supported chromium precursor, contacting a chromium precursor with a solid support while heat treating, or heat treating a solid support and then contacting a chromium precursor with the solid support.
1. A supported catalyst comprising:
a chemically-treated solid oxide comprising sulfated alumina, fluorided alumina, fluorided silica-alumina, fluorided silica-coated alumina, or any combination thereof; and
a chromate compound in an amount from about 0.1 to about 25 wt. % of chromium, based on the weight of the catalyst.
2. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises potassium chromate, sodium chromate, ammonium chromate, potassium dichromate, sodium dichromate, ammonium dichromate, or any combination thereof.
3. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst contains from about 0.25 to about 15 wt. % chromium.
4. The catalyst of claim 3 , wherein the catalyst further comprises from about 0.25 to about 15 wt. % alkali metal.
5. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst has:
a total pore volume from about 0.1 to about 3 mL/g; and
a BET surface area from about 50 to about 700 m 2 /g.
6. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chemically-treated solid oxide comprises fluorided silica-coated alumina.
7. The catalyst of claim 6 , wherein the fluorided silica-coated alumina:
contains from about 2 to about 15 wt. % fluorine; and
has a weight ratio of alumina to silica from about 1:5 to about 5:1.
8. The catalyst of claim 7 , wherein the fluorided silica-coated alumina has a weight ratio of alumina to silica from about 1:1 to about 2:1.
9. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst contains from about 0.25 to about 15 wt. % chromium.
10. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises potassium chromate.
11. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises sodium chromate.
12. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises ammonium chromate.
13. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises potassium dichromate.
14. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises sodium dichromate.
15. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the chromate compound comprises ammonium dichromate.
16. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst further comprises from about 0.25 to about 15 wt. % alkali metal.
17. The catalyst of claim 16 , wherein the chromate compound comprises potassium chromate, sodium chromate, potassium dichromate, sodium dichromate, or any combination thereof.
18. The catalyst of claim 17 , wherein the chemically-treated solid oxide comprises fluorided silica-coated alumina.
19. The catalyst of claim 17 , wherein the chemically-treated solid oxide comprises sulfated alumina.
20. The catalyst of claim 17 , wherein the catalyst has:
a total pore volume from about 0.1 to about 3 mL/g; and
a BET surface area from about 50 to about 700 m 2 /g.