Energy & Fuels, Vol.33, No.5, 3828-3843, 2019
Catalytic Upgrading of Light Naphtha to Gasoline Blending Components: A Mini Review
The upgrading of light naphtha (C-5-C-6 stream) to gasoline blending components has been the subject of intensive research at both academic and industrial laboratories. The combination of high volatility and low-octane number has made this stream surplus at many refineries worldwide. This review presents the latest developments in selected catalytic upgrading processes and a brief discussion on the reaction mechanism and reactor models. A majority of the review falls within the development of catalysts for n-hexane isomerization to hydrocarbon isomers with a high octane number. There are three types of isomerization catalysts that include Pt/Al2O3-Cl, Pt/SO4-ZrO2, and Pt/zeolite. Efforts are ongoing to improve the catalyst performance for higher selectivity and catalyst lifetime. Very little work has been published on the conversion of n-pentane mainly as a result of its low activity and the limited options available for its transformation to gasoline blending components. Other approaches discussed in the review include dimerization and oligomerization of C-5-C-6 alkenes and methylative homologation. The review covers literature published during the period of 2000-2018.