Oil more easily converted into petrol thanks to a smart observational technique

1 November 2011

Catalysts are needed to convert crude oil into petrol and other fuels. However, a technique for accurately determining how well individual catalyst particles work or continue to work was not available. NWO researcher Bert Weckhuysen and his team from Utrecht University in collaboration with the company Albemarle Catalysts, have now succeeded in imaging how well the particles do their work. As a result of this research better catalysts can now be found. This will enable the oil industry to continue producing qualitatively good fuels from the dwindling reserves of crude oil that are often of a poor quality. The research was published in the November issue of Nature Chemistry.  

The catalysts used by oil refineries are smart, minuscule sand grains full of pores and 'acid sites'. The oil particles, long hydrocarbon chains, creep into the pores and are chopped into shorter chains at the acid sites. This is the so-called cracking of crude oil. These shorter hydrocarbon chains can then be combusted as petrol or diesel in a car engine. 

'Everyone had always thought that each cracking catalyst sphere had about the same activity and that active sites were spread equally over the grain. Yet the reality is very different,' says Weckhuysen. 'Under a fluorescence microscope we made a 3D map of the active sites in such spheres. We can detect those sites using thiophene. As soon as such a molecule is in the vicinity of the acid sites it emits green fluorescing light.' Knowledge about these active acidic sites can be used to select the most effective catalysts. That will make it easier to convert oil into petrol. Furthermore, using this technique it can be seen when the particles become less active and therefore need replacing.

NWO-ACTS

The research into the effectiveness of catalysts took place within the framework of the public-private partnership platform ACTS, NWO’s platform for public-private research in the field of sustainable chemical technology. Albemarle Catalysts in Amsterdam sponsored part of the research and together with the researchers from Utrecht University investigated two different production methods for cracking catalysts. In 2012, four new Technology Areas for Sustainable Chemistry (TASCs) will start as a successor to ACTS. These will focus on research and innovation in sustainable chemistry with a strong focus on applying innovative technological developments. 

About NWO

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is the independent Dutch science funding body and its mission is to facilitate excellent scientific research in the Netherlands by means of national competition. Each year NWO spends more than 500 million euros on grants for top research and top researchers, on innovative instruments and equipment, and on institutes where top research is performed. NWO funds the research of more than 5000 talented researchers at universities and institutes. Independent experts select proposals by means of a peer review system. NWO facilitates the transfer of knowledge to society and industry.

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last modified on 23 November 2011