Deoligomerization of paraffin wax to mineral oil with alumina supported zirconium complex catalyst

Abstract

The present study demonstrates the use of a homodinuclear macrocyclic Zr-Zr complex catalyst in the catalytic deoligomerization of paraffin waxes to mineral oil without any gases. The deoligomerization of waxes is commercially important process and it requires the breakage of C-C bond. Various heterogeneous catalysts reported in literature are known to produce more than 100 components consisting of noncondensable gases CO, CO₂, C₁ to C₆ alkanes, liquid products (C₇ to C₁₄), aromatics and several unsaturated compounds. The use of our catalyst, in the deoligomerization of waxes produce only liquid component and GC-MS analysis has been shown it to consist of octadecane, eicosane, tricosane, docosane, nonadecane and one alkene i.e.1-hexacosene.