Non Monotonous Product Distribution Dependence on Pt/gamma-Al2O3-Cl Catalysts Formulation in n-Heptane Reforming.

The synthesis of 19 carefully selected Pt/gamma-Al2O3-Cl formulations was followed by high-throughput catalytic testing in order to unravel the effect of an active phase formulation change on n-heptane reforming performances. Pt/gamma-Al2O3-Cl catalysts were prepared with different Pt (0.3-1 %(wt)) and Cl (0.1-1.4 %(wt)) contents and using two gamma-Al2O3 supports so that both sites concentrations and sites locations at the crystallite surface vary among the catalyst pool. Catalytic tests were conducted in mild conditions for a comparison of catalysts in kinetic regime. Results show that Pt and Cl concentrations control the competition between hydroisomerisation, hydrogenolysis and hydrocracking pathways. Aromatisation, on the contrary, is poorly affected by formulation changes. Non-monotonous trends linking Pt/Cl ratio to isomerisation selectivity are found for both gamma-Al2O3 supports. This study provides new insights for the description of bi-functional transformations in catalytic naphtha reforming.