CHARACTERIZATION OF FRESH AND LINED-OUT BULK FEMO SULFIDE CATALYSTS

As reported previously, while a hydrodenitrogenation-selective FeMo su lfide catalyst maintained its activity in a 600 h accelerated aging te st, the catalyst lost its hydrodenitrogenation activity fairly rapidly during the early stages of the test. This study is aimed at identifyi ng the origin of the initial activity loss. Characterization of fresh and lined-out catalysts has indicated that the initial activity declin e appears to be caused by decomposition of a single-phase amorphous Fe Mo sulfide.