Method for manufacturing hydrorefining catalyst, and metal recovery method

Abstract

A heavy oil is hydrorefined using a hydrorefining catalyst. A spent hydrorefining catalyst whose activity has decreased is heat treated (S 1 ) and pulverized to obtained a regenerated powder (S 2 ). This regenerated powder is fractionated according to its metal content (S 3 ), formed (S 6 ), dried (S 7 ), and calcined (S 7 ) to manufacture a regenerated catalyst whose volume of pores with a diameter of 50 to 2000 nm is at least 0.2 ml/g, and whose volume of pores with a diameter over 2000 nm is no more than 0.1 mL/g. Using this regenerated catalyst, a heavy oil containing at least 45 wt ppm vanadium and nickel as combined metal elements is hydrodemetalized, and the vanadium and nickel are recovered from the used regenerated catalyst (SS 1 ). Through hydrorefining, the metal components are recovered more efficiently, and the spent catalyst can be reused to manufacture a regenerated catalyst that exhibits high reaction activity.

1 . A metal recovery method, comprising: 
 hydrodemetalizing a heavy oil containing vanadium and nickel using a hydrorefining catalyst; and    recovering at least one of the vanadium and nickel from the catalyst used in the hydrodemetalization,    wherein the hydrorefining catalyst has been manufactured from, as raw material, a hydrorefining catalyst which has been used in the hydrorefining of heavy oils and which contains vanadium and nickel, by a method comprising the steps of:    obtaining a catalyst powder by pulverizing the used hydrorefining catalyst;    fractionating the catalyst powder based on the content of at least one of vanadium and nickel; and    forming the obtained catalyst powder.    
   
   
       2 . A metal recovery method in which metal is recovered from a used hydrorefining catalyst that has been used in the hydrorefining of a heavy oil, comprising the steps of: 
 obtaining a catalyst powder by pulverizing the used hydrorefining catalyst;    fractionating the obtained catalyst powder based on the amount of metal contained in the catalyst powder; and    recovering a metal component from the fractionated catalyst powder.    
   
   
       3 . The metal recovery method according to  claim 2 , wherein the used hydrorefining catalyst contains vanadium and nickel, and the pulverized catalyst powder is fractionated based on its content of at least one of vanadium or nickel.  
   
   
       4 . The metal recovery method according to  claim 3 , wherein the fractionation is performed by sieving or magnetic separation.  
   
   
       5 . A hydrorefining catalyst, comprising: 
 a carrier formed from an inorganic porous oxide;    a hydrogenation active metal component supported on the carrier; and    vanadium distributed uniformly throughout the catalyst, wherein the pore volume is at least 0.2 cm 3 /g for pores with a diameter of 50 to 2000 nm, and the pore volume is no more than 0.1 cm 3 /g for pores with a diameter over 2000 nm.    
   
   
       6 . The hydrorefining catalyst according to  claim 5 , which is manufactured from a catalyst that has been used in the hydrorefining of a heavy oil.  
   
   
       7 . The hydrorefining catalyst according to  claim 5 , wherein the vanadium content is 0.2 to 10 wt % with respect to the catalyst weight.  
   
   
       8 . The hydrorefining catalyst according to  claim 5 , wherein a ratio of vanadium content in an outer portion on a cross section of the catalyst to that in an inner portion on the cross section of the catalyst is 0.8 to 1.2.  
   
   
       9 . The hydrorefining catalyst according to  claim 5 , wherein the hydrogenation active metal includes at least one of molybdenum or tungsten, and at least one of nickel or cobalt.