Synthetic crude oil can be produced by direct and indirect liquefaction process from a variety of feed materials that include both renewable and fossil fuel resources.  Burt Davis contributed extensively to the literature on direct coal liquefaction, as well as indirect liquefaction by Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.  He also made significant contributions to refining catalysis and it is these refining catalysis contributions that are reviewed in context of synthetic crude oil refining.  His work in the field of hydrotreating, deamination, dehydration that include methanol-to-olefins conversion, hydrocracking, hydroisomerization and aromatization on mono- and bifunctional catalysts are explored.  Some of the aspects covered in more detail are indicated.  His work on hydrodenitrogenation showed that deamination was the rate-determining step and that heavier product formation also had to be explained; there were parallels with deamination on metal nitride catalysts.  His work on metal oxide dehydration showed the relationship between base strength and anti-Saytzeff dehydration, as well as the concerted nature of the elimination over alumina, which has an implication for the double bond isomerization pathway.  His work on platinum promoted sulfated zirconia for hydrocracking and hydroisomerization pointed out differences with conventional bifunctional hydrocracking catalysis and showed that there might be a redox pathway involved in the cracking and isomerization.  His work showed the power of monofunctional aromatization, and the practical benefit of alloying platinum with metals such as tin to improve catalyst stability under practical naphtha reforming conditions.

Synthetic crude oil refining: Lifetime contribution by Burtron H. Davis

2019 Fall National Meeting

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