Macroporous Al2O3 with three-dimensionally interconnected structure: Catalytic performance of hydrodemetallization for residue oil

Three-dimensionally interconnected macroporous (3DM) Al2O3 was prepared by phase separation. Macropore size of the obtained Al2O3 is 250 nm with a bimodal pore distribution (at about 21 and 250 nm, respectively) and the BET specific surface area of 174 m2/g, as well as the crushing strength of 16.5 N/mm. Ni and Mo on the 3DM catalyst are uniformly dispersed on the surface of the support. The active phases of sulfurized catalyst possess length of 3–10 nm and stacking layers of 1–7. The stacking distribution of active phase more than 4 layers is about 40%, forming a non-uniform active phase structure. Compared with the industrial catalysts, the hydrodemetallization (HDM) rate, hydrodesulfurization (HDS) rate and hydrodecarbonization (HDCCR) rate of the 3DM catalyst increased by 6.2%, 6.0% and 6.8%, respectively. The pore structure, surface properties, active phase structure and their synergistic effect may be the main reasons for the excellent catalytic performance of the 3DM catalyst.