Method to recover spent hydroprocessing catalyst activity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11389790-B2
Application number	US-202016889121-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2020
Priority date	Jun 1, 2020
Publication date	Jul 19, 2022
Grant date	Jul 19, 2022

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for regenerating and rejuvenating a spent catalyst comprising coke and contaminant metals includes washing the spent catalyst with a solvent; drying, at least partially, the spent catalyst; partially combusting the spent catalyst to remove a portion of the coke, thereby producing a partially de-coked catalyst; acid washing the partially de-coked catalyst; and fully combusting the partially de-coked catalyst, thereby producing a regenerated and rejuvenated catalyst. The portion of the coke removed during the partial combustion is greater than or equal to 10 wt. % and less than or equal to 60 wt. %. No rare earth elements are added to the partially de-coked catalyst prior to the fully combusting the partially de-coked catalyst.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for regenerating and rejuvenating a spent catalyst comprising coke and contaminant metals, the method comprising
washing the spent catalyst with a solvent to produce a washed, spent catalyst;
drying, at least partially, the washed, spent catalyst to product a dried, spent catalyst;
partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst to remove a portion of the coke, thereby producing a partially de-coked catalyst;
acid washing the partially de-coked catalyst to produce an acid-washed, partially-decoked catalyst; and
fully combusting the acid-washed, partially de-coked catalyst, thereby producing a regenerated and rejuvenated catalyst;
wherein the portion of the coke removed during the partially combusting is greater than or equal to 10 wt. % and less than or equal to 60 wt. %; and no rare earth elements are added to the partially de-coked catalyst prior to the fully combusting the partially de-coked catalyst.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent has a Hildebrandt solubility factor of greater than or equal to 18.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, benzene, xylenes, acetone, dichloromethane, methanol, ethanol, an alcohol comprising greater than or equal to three carbon atoms, an aromatic stream recovered from a refining process, and a combination of two or more thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the drying is performed by flowing a gas over the washed, spent catalyst.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the gas is selected from the group consisting of air, nitrogen, oxygen, a noble gas, and a combination of two or more thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the coke removed during the partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst is greater than or equal to 20 wt. % and less than or equal to 60 wt.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the coke removed during the partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst is greater than or equal to 20 wt. % and less than or equal to 50 wt.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst comprises applying a combusting agent to the spent catalyst.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the combusting agent is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen, ozone, oxides of nitrogen, and a combination of two or more thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst comprises subjecting the dried, spent catalyst to a chamber having a temperature of greater than or equal to 400° C. and less than or equal to 500° C. for a time period of greater than or equal to 15 minutes and less than or equal to 150 minutes.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid washing comprises contacting the partially de-coked catalyst with a solution having a pH greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the solution comprises an acid selected from the group consisting of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, perchloric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid, and a combination of two or more thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid washing comprises acid washing the partially de-coked catalyst at a temperature greater than or equal to 20° C. and less than or equal to 80° C. for a time period of greater than or equal to 10 minutes and less than or equal to 90 minutes.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the acid washing is followed by water washing the partially de-coked catalyst by contacting the partially de-coked catalyst with wash water.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining a pH of the wash water after the partially de-coked catalyst is contacted with the wash water and continuing the water washing until the pH of the wash water is greater than or equal to 6.5 and less than or equal to 7.5.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising drying the partially de-coked catalyst after the water washing and prior to the fully combusting the partially de-coked catalyst.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the drying comprises subjecting the partially de-coked catalyst to an environment having a temperature greater than or equal to 20° C. and less than or equal to 200° C.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the drying is conducted until no detectable moisture is evolved from the partially de-coked catalyst.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fully combusting the acid-washed, partially de-coked catalyst comprises subjecting the acid-washed, partially de-coked catalyst to a chamber having a temperature of greater than or equal to 500° C. and less than or equal to 575° C. for a time period of greater than or equal to 15 minutes and less than or equal to 150 minutes.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the partially combusting the dried, spent catalyst comprises applying air to the dried, spent catalyst and the fully combusting the acid-washed, partially de-coked catalyst comprises applying air to the acid-washed, partially de-coked catalyst.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Koseoglu Omer Refa

Classifications

• B01J38/00

  Regeneration or reactivation of catalysts, in general · CPC title

• B01J38/56 Primary

  Hydrocarbons · CPC title

• B01J38/62

  organic · CPC title

• B01J23/94

  of catalysts comprising metals, oxides or hydroxides of the iron group metals or copper · CPC title

• B01J38/02 Primary

  Heat treatment · CPC title