Slurry-Phase Hydrocracking of a Decalin–Phenanthrene Mixture by MoS2/SiO2–ZrO2 Bifunctional Catalysts

Slurry-phase hydrocracking is one of the most advanced technologies for the conversion of inferior heavy oil to light fuel oil. In this work, MoS2 was combined with SiO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides to offer a new class of bifunctional catalysts for slurry-phase hydrocracking. In the bifunctional catalysts, SiO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides with abundant mesopores and acid sites act as cracking catalysts. They were presynthesized by a sol–gel-hydrothermal method and systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), NH3-temperature programed desorption (NH3-TPD), and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The effect of Si/Zr molar ratios on the chemical structure, especially the acid properties of SiO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides were examined. Subsequently, a mixture of decalin–phenanthrene was selected as the model system to investigate the performance of bifunctional catalysts. It was found that the conversions of decalin and phenanthrene were significantly improved for MoS2/SiO2–ZrO2 bifunctional catalysts. Further analysis indicated that the Brønsted acid sites of SiO2–ZrO2 mixed oxides played an important role in the improvement of decalin and phenanthrene conversions.