Synthesis and catalytic properties of extra-large pore crystalline materials for n-hexadecane cracking

Publisher Summary The Fluid Catalytic Cracking process (FCC) is of paramount importance in petroleum refining. At present, besides an active matrix, the active component of the cracking catalyst is zeolite Y and/or ZSM-5, both of which are limited in the processing of heavier oil fractions due to the restriction caused by their pore dimensions. The new zeotype/mesoporous materials VPI-5, Cloverite, and MCM-41 open up interesting perspectives for the conversion of heavier feedstocks because of the accessibility of long-chain and/or bulky molecules to the active centers. This chapter presents the synthesis of and discusses the results obtained by using Si-VPI-5 and MCM-41 as catalysts in n-hexadecane cracking in comparison with a commercial FCC catalyst.