Abstract: A catalyst composition and its use as a dehydrogenation catalyst to increase normal olefin selectivity and reduce undesirable aromatic selectivity. The reduction in aromatic production allows for the elimination of a unit to remove aromatic compounds. The catalyst has a layered composition comprising an inner core, an outer layer bonded to the inner core, the outer layer comprising one or more transition alumina with at least two diffraction angle peaks between 32.0° and 70.0° 2?, wherein a first diffraction angle peak in that range is at 32.7±0.4° 2?, a second diffraction angle peak is at 50.8±0.4° 2?, and having a thickness of less than about 100 microns and having uniformly dispersed thereon said platinum catalyst and at least one promoter metal and having a concentration of the platinum catalyst of from about 0.00006 to 0.0005 gram of the platinum group metal on an elemental basis per meter square surface area of the outer layer.

Abstract: A process is provided for producing linear alkylbenzenes with an improved yield from paraffin feed due to the use of a new catalyst that has a reduced selectivity to produce undesired aromatic compounds. In some embodiments, it is now possible to operate the process without including a unit to remove such aromatic compounds which allows for an operator of a plant to make modifications to the process to increase product yield.