Processes for producing fluorided solid oxides and uses thereof in metallocene-based catalyst systems

1. A process to produce a fluorided solid oxide, the process comprising:

(a) contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound and an inorganic base to produce an aqueous mixture having a pH of at least about 4; and

(b) contacting a solid oxide with the aqueous mixture to produce the fluorided solid oxide.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the acidic fluorine-containing compound and the inorganic base are contacted at a ratio of acid:base equivalents in a range from about 1:1 to about 1:2; and

the acidic fluorine-containing compound is contacted first with water, and then the inorganic base, to produce the aqueous mixture in step (a), or the inorganic base is contacted first with water, and then the acidic fluorine-containing compound, to produce the aqueous mixture in step (a).

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

a metal-containing compound is contacted with the acidic fluorine-containing compound and the inorganic base in step (a); and

the fluorided solid oxide contains from about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % of the metal of the metal-containing compound, based on the weight of the fluorided solid oxide.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic base comprises a zinc-containing inorganic base, an aluminum-containing inorganic base, an iron-containing inorganic base, a manganese-containing inorganic base, a calcium-containing inorganic base, a magnesium-containing inorganic base, or any combination thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the acidic fluorine-containing compound comprises hydrogen fluoride (HF), ammonium bifluoride (NH 4 HF 2 ), triflic acid (CF 3 SO 3 H), tetrafluoroboric acid (HBF 4 ), hexafluorosilicic acid (H 2 SiF 6 ), hexafluorophosphoric acid (HPF 6 ), or any combination thereof; and

the inorganic base comprises ZnO, Zn(OH) 2 , ZnCO 3 , Al(OH) 3 , Al 2 O 3 , AlOOH, Fe 2 O 3 , Fe(OH) 3 , Fe(OH) 2 , MnO 2 , Mn(OH) 2 , Ca(OH) 2 , CaCO 3 , Mg(OH) 2 , MgCO 3 , or any combination thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the acidic fluorine-containing compound comprises tetrafluoroboric acid (HBF 4 ), hexafluorosilicic acid (H 2 SiF 6 ), or both;

the inorganic base comprises ZnO, Zn(OH) 2 , ZnCO 3 , or any combination thereof; and

the fluorided solid oxide contains from about 0.5 to about 15 wt. % Zn, based on the weight of the fluorided solid oxide.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the pH is in a range from about 4 to about 8; and

the fluorided solid oxide contains from about 0.5 to about 15 wt. % F, based on the weight of the fluorided solid oxide.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the fluorided solid oxide has a total pore volume from about 0.5 to about 2.5 mL/g, a BET surface area from about 150 to about 700 m 2 /g, and an average (d50) particle size from about 20 to about 100 microns; and

the fluorided solid oxide comprises fluorided alumina, fluorided titania, fluorided zirconia, fluorided magnesia, fluorided boria, fluorided silica-alumina, fluorided silica-coated alumina, fluorided silica-titania, fluorided silica-zirconia, fluorided alumina-boria, or any combination thereof.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein:

the solid oxide comprises silica-coated alumina; and

the silica-coated alumina contains from about 25 to about 50 wt. % silica, based on the weight of the silica-coated alumina.

10. The process of claim 1 , further comprising drying and/or calcining the fluorided solid oxide.

11. A process to produce a fluorided solid oxide, the process comprising:

(A) contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound with a solid oxide to produce a mixture; and

(B) contacting the mixture with an inorganic base to produce the fluorided solid oxide at a pH of at least about 4.

12. The process of claim 11 , wherein the process comprises a ratio of acid:base equivalents of the acidic fluorine-containing compound to the inorganic base in a range from about 1:1 to about 1:2.

13. A process to produce a fluorided solid oxide, the process comprising:

(a) contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound and an inorganic base to produce an aqueous mixture having a pH of at least about 4;

(b) contacting a solid oxide with the aqueous mixture to produce the fluorided solid oxide; and

(c) spray drying the fluorided solid oxide.

14. The process of claim 13 , wherein:

the pH is in a range from about 4 to about 8; and

the fluorided solid oxide contains from about 0.5 to about 15 wt. % F, based on the weight of the fluorided solid oxide.

15. The process of claim 14 , wherein:

the acidic fluorine-containing compound comprises tetrafluoroboric acid (HBF 4 ), hexafluorosilicic acid (H 2 SiF 6 ), or both;

the inorganic base comprises ZnO, Zn(OH) 2 , ZnCO 3 , or any combination thereof; and

the fluorided solid oxide contains from about 0.5 to about 15 wt. % Zn, based on the weight of the fluorided solid oxide.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein in step (c), a slurry of the fluorided solid oxide is spray dried.

17. The process of claim 15 , wherein:

the solid oxide comprises silica-coated alumina; and

the silica-coated alumina contains from about 25 to about 50 wt. % silica, based on the weight of the silica-coated alumina.

18. The process of claim 15 , wherein the acidic fluorine-containing compound and the inorganic base are contacted at a ratio of acid:base equivalents in a range from about 1:1 to about 1:2.

19. The process of claim 14 , wherein the fluorided solid oxide has a total pore volume from about 0.5 to about 2.5 mL/g.

20. The process of claim 14 , further comprising calcining the fluorided solid oxide.