Recent advances and future aspects in the selective isomerization of high n-alkanes

This article provides an overview of the advances that have been marked during the last decades in the field of hydroconversion of high n-alkanes (C-7(+)) with particular stress on the promising ways to meet the requirements for improved quality of motor fuels and oils. Particular attention is given to a catalyst formulation for selective conversion of high n-alkanes to branched hydrocarbons. The challenge for successfully solving this problem is to find an effective catalyst favoring the isomerization of n-alkanes without too much cracking. The regulation of active sites and adsorption properties, as well as the topology of support surfaces, allows a more predictive design of novel catalysts for selective conversion of high n-alkanes into their branched isomers.