Catalysts for Hydroprocessing of Heavy Oils and Petroleum Residues

Abstract

With the increasing demand of petroleum-derived products due to the world population and development, upgrading of crude oil with heavier quality and petroleum residues is unavoidable. Hydroprocessing is a preferable process for heavy oil upgrading. The process is operated with the presence of a catalyst, and catalysis plays an important role in the process. An overview regarding the catalyst design such as the catalyst active metal, active phase, support properties, and catalyst structure for heavy oil hydroprocessing is provided. There also include some recent advancements related to catalytic hydroprocessing of heavy oils and residue processes. Further catalyst performance improvement will likely come from catalyst optimization and better catalyst deactivation resistance resulting from metal poisoning and coke formation.