Thermal Degradation Kinetics of Vacuum Residues in the Presence of Chrysotile Supported Ni-Ti Catalyst

For the first time, thermal decomposition of vacuum residue and a mixture of vacuum residue with binary nanocatalysts based on leached and non-leached chrysotile with applied active metals was studied using the thermogravimetry method. It is shown that the thermokinetic parameters of decomposition of vacuum residue and its mixture with binary nanocatalyst are different. The phase composition of the binary nanocatalyst was established through X-ray phase analysis (XRD): (Mg3Si2O5 (OH), NiO and Ti (SO4)2). The quantitative content of elements on the chrysotile surface was determined using X-ray fluorescence analysis: (Ni (4.88%), Ti (7.29%), Si (24.93%), Mg (7.83%), Fe (0.69%) and S (3.89%)). Using atomic emission spectral analysis, the gross quantitative content of supported metals on chrysotile was determined: Ni (4.85%) and Ti (4.86%). A transmission electron microscope showed the presence of finely dispersed particles adsorbed on the surface of and possibly inside chrysotile nanotubes with sizes ranging from 5 to 70 nm. The acidity of the nanocatalyst obtained from the leached active-metal-supported chrysotile was 267 μmol/g and the specific surface area of the nanocatalyst was 54 m2/g. The Ozawa–Flynn–Wall (OFW) method was used to calculate the kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation of vacuum residue and the mixture of vacuum residue with nanocatalysts. Using the isoconversion method, the average values of activation energies and the pre-exponential factor were calculated: 147.55 kJ/mol and 3.37·1016 min−1 for the initial vacuum residue; 118.69 kJ/mol and 1.54·1018 min−1 for the mixture of vacuum residue with nanocatalyst obtained from non-leached chrysotile with applied metals; 82.83 kJ/mol and 2.15·1019 min−1 for the mixture of vacuum residue with nanocatalyst obtained from leached chrysotile with applied metals. The kinetic parameters obtained can be used in modeling and designing the processes of thermal degradation and hydroforming of heavy hydrocarbon raw materials.