ExSact: Novel solid-acid catalyzed iso-paraffin alkylation process

Steep reductions in sulfur levels allowed in gasoline and the recent ban on MTBE in several states have made it difficult for refiners to prepare gasoline blends that meet state and federal guidelines. Alkylate is an ideal gasoline blend-stock that can meet both these challenges because it has a high octane rating, low vapor pressure, and low toxicity. Exelus has developed an innovative technology, ExSact, to produce alkylate as an alternative to conventional liquid acid catalyzed iso-paraffin alkylation processes. The main components of ExSact include a unique solid-acid catalyst that converts light hydrocarbons into alkylates and a novel fixed-bed reactor that is designed to enhance the performance of this catalyst. The synergistic integration of the green solid acid catalyst with the novel reactor is expected to provide refiners with a cleaner-by-design alternative to produce a high-octane alkylate. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 230th ACS National Meeting (Washington, DC 8/28/2005-9/1/2005).