Method of preparing nickel on silica catalyst

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREPARING NICKEL ON SILICA CATALYST PARTICLES WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF: PREPARING FINELY PULVERIZED HIGH PURITY SILICA GEL POWDER CONSISTING ONLY OF PARTICLES FROM 1 TO 20 MICRONS SIZE AND HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE FROM 5 TO 15 MICRONS; DISPERSING THE SILICA POWDER IN AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE SILICATE SOLUTION PROVIDING FROM 3 TO 5 TIMES AS MUCH SILICA AS THE POWDER; REACTING SAID DISPERSION WITH ACID TO FORM A SILICA HYDROSOL; SETTING THE SILICA HYDROSOL TO SILICA HYDROGEL; PURIFYING THE SILICA HYDROGEL TO REMOVE SALTS THEREFROM AND TO OBTAIN HIGH PURITY SILICA HYDROGEL; CALCINING THE HYDROGEL TO PREPARE SILICA GEL PARTICLES HAVING A HIGH PROPORTION OF LARGE PORES BY REASON OF POWDER-INCLUSION; COOLING THE SILICA GEL PARTICLES; CLASSIFYING THE PARTICLES TO REMOVE ALL PARTICLES SMALLER THAN A SELECTED MINIMUM SIZE OF AT LEAST 200 MICRONS; IMPREGNATING THE CLASSIFIED POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL PARTICLES WITH AN AQUEOUS NITROGENOUS NICKEL FORMATE SOLUTION CONTAINING A STRONGLY BASIC NITROGENOUS MATERIAL IN A MOLAR CONCENTRATION GREATER THAN THE MOLAR CONCENTRATION OF NICKEL; HEATING THE IMPREGNATED PARTICLES AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 100*C. TO VOLATILIZE EXCESS WATER AND AT LEAST A PART OF THE NITROGENOUS MATERIAL AND TO PREPARE NICKEL COMPOUND IMPREGNATED PARTICLES OF POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL; HEATING THE IMPREGNATED PARTICLES AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 180*C. AND BELOW 400*C. IN A GAS STREAM HAVING A SUPERFICIAL VELOCITY OF AT LEAST 20 CM./MIN., SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING GAS FOR REDUCING NICKEL OXIDE TO METALLIC NICKEL, AND SAID GAS STREAM BEING ADAPTED TO REMOVE GASEOUS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS AND TO FORM NICKEL ON POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL PARTICLES; AND COOLING THE PARTICLES TO PROVIDE A NICKEL HYDROGENATION CATALYST HAVING SUFFICIENT ACTIVITY TO PROVIDE A CONVERSION OF AT LEAST 5% PER MINUTE IN THE BENZENE HYDROGENATION TEST.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREPARING NICKEL ON SILICA CATALYST PARTICLES WHICH INCLUDES THE STEPS OF: PREPARING FINELY PULVERIZED HIGH PURITY SILICA GEL POWDER CONSISTING ONLY OF PARTICLES FROM 1 TO 20 MICRONS SIZE AND HAVING AN AVERAGE PARTICLE SIZE FROM 5 TO 15 MICRONS; DISPERSING THE SILICA POWDER IN AN AQUEOUS ALKALINE SILICATE SOLUTION PROVIDING FROM 3 TO 5 TIMES AS MUCH SILICA AS THE POWDER; REACTING SAID DISPERSION WITH ACID TO FORM A SILICA HYDROSOL; SETTING THE SILICA HYDROSOL TO SILICA HYDROGEL; PURIFYING THE SILICA HYDROGEL TO REMOVE SALTS THEREFROM AND TO OBTAIN HIGH PURITY SILICA HYDROGEL; CALCINING THE HYDROGEL TO PREPARE SILICA GEL PARTICLES HAVING A HIGH PROPORTION OF LARGE PORES BY REASON OF POWDER-INCLUSION; COOLING THE SILICA GEL PARTICLES; CLASSIFYING THE PARTICLES TO REMOVE ALL PARTICLES SMALLER THAN A SELECTED MINIMUM SIZE OF AT LEAST 200 MICRONS; IMPREGNATING THE CLASSIFIED POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL PARTICLES WITH AN AQUEOUS NITROGENOUS NICKEL FORMATE SOLUTION CONTAINING A STRONGLY BASIC NITROGENOUS MATERIAL IN A MOLAR CONCENTRATION GREATER THAN THE MOLAR CONCENTRATION OF NICKEL; HEATING THE IMPREGNATED PARTICLES AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 100*C. TO VOLATILIZE EXCESS WATER AND AT LEAST A PART OF THE NITROGENOUS MATERIAL AND TO PREPARE NICKEL COMPOUND IMPREGNATED PARTICLES OF POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL; HEATING THE IMPREGNATED PARTICLES AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 180*C. AND BELOW 400*C. IN A GAS STREAM HAVING A SUPERFICIAL VELOCITY OF AT LEAST 20 CM./MIN., SAID GAS STREAM CONTAINING GAS FOR REDUCING NICKEL OXIDE TO METALLIC NICKEL, AND SAID GAS STREAM BEING ADAPTED TO REMOVE GASEOUS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS AND TO FORM NICKEL ON POWDER-INCLUDED SILICA GEL PARTICLES; AND COOLING THE PARTICLES TO PROVIDE A NICKEL HYDROGENATION CATALYST HAVING SUFFICIENT ACTIVITY TO PROVIDE A CONVERSION OF AT LEAST 5% PER MINUTE IN THE BENZENE HYDROGENATION TEST.