Upgrading of Alberta's heavy oils by superacid-catalyzed hydrocracking

The HF . BF3 superacid-catalyzed hydrocracking of tar sands bitumens and as phaltenes leads to deep-rooted chemical changes which affect both the aliph atic and aromatic constituents of the feedstocks even under mild experiment al conditions, resulting in high yields of volatiles and liquid products. I n contrast to conventional catalytic hydrocracking following free-radical m echanisms, the superacid-catalyzed reaction follows ionic mechanisms, yield ing products very different from those following the free-radical reactions . When methylcyclohexane (MCH) is employed as a hydrogen-donor solvent, new products resulting from the oligomerization of MCH appear. MCH neat, witho ut bitumen or asphaltene, does not oligomerize under identical conditions. These preliminary results point to the commercial potential of using the vo latile HF . BF3 superacid in the upgrading of bitumen and the oligomerizati on of cycloalkanes.