The role of acidity, side pocket, and steam on maximizing propylene yield from light naphtha cracking over one-dimensional zeolites: Case studies of EU-1 and disordered ZSM-48

Abstract Catalytic cracking of light naphtha was carried out in a fixed bed reactor over ZSM-48 and EU-1 zeolites at different Si/Al ratios. The highest propylene yield achieved was ~39 wt% over EU-1 catalyst which has the lowest Si/Al ratio of 50. The side pocket of EU-1 catalyst exhibited important role in prolonging the lifetime and enhancing the propylene yield. The addition of 5% molar percent of water to the reaction caused considerable changes in the concentration of Bronsted and Lewis due to the dealumination observed. The presence of steam over ZSM-48 showed good enhancement in the catalyst lifetime and significant decrease in deactivation rate as compared to EU-1.