Process for the hydrogenolysis of light hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE HYDROGENEOLYSIS OF NON-CYCLIC ALIPHATIC LIGHT HYDROCARBONS WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A GASEOUS ADMIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND A GAS CONTAINING PRIMARILY A HYDROCARBON FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NONCYCLIC SATURATED ALIPHATIC LIGHT HYDROCARBONS HAVING FROM 2-4 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE, ETHYLENE, PROPYLENE, 1-BUTENE, AND MIXTURES OF THE SATURATED AND OLEFIN HYDROCARBONS AFORESAID, INTO CONTACT WITH A SUPPORTED CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A CATALYTIC METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF RUTHENIUM AND A RUTHENIUMPALLADIUM COMBINATION, SUPPORTED ON ACTIVATED ALUMINA, AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BETWEEN 197*C. AND 370*C. AND A SPACE VELOCITY FROM ABOUT 1000 TO 10,000 STANDARD VOLUMES OF GAS PER VOLUME OF CATALYST PER HOUR, THE CATALYTIC METAL BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT OF ABOUT 0.1-5 WEIGHT PERCENT BASED ON CATALYTIC METAL PLUS SUPPORT, WHEREBY HYDROGENOLYSIS OF THE HYDROCARBON OCCURS TO PRODUCE GASEOUS REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING METHANE.