2-D Fluid Catalyst Cracking Catalyst Films

Abstract

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a process that is extensively used in industry. The catalyst that is used, a complex matrix of four components, is able to process a variety of feedstocks that can be converted toward several products. Due to the variable applications that are possible, studies have been conducted and designed to investigate the contribution of FCC catalysts in the field of biomass processing and catalytic plastic recycling. The active site, in this case zeolite-Y, is embedded in the matrix. In order to reach the zeolite domains within, diffusion through the matrix is required. However, this limits the ability to analyze the interaction of the zeolite domains with feedstock molecules. This work reports a method to obtain 2-D FCC-cat films that display similarities with FCC catalyst particles, that can be used to fundamentally study the interaction of the active site with feedstock molecules and the zeolite-binder interface of the catalyst. The 2-D films are produced by spin-coating FCC-slurry, an intermediate step in the synthesis of FCC catalyst particles. A detailed discussion on the effect of spin-coating on the produced films is reported, as well as study with confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Initial AFM measurements were conducted, which demonstrated that surface sensitive techniques can be used to study the zeolite domains and zeolite-binder interfaces within FCC-cat films The catalytic pyrolysis of polypropylene was performed on FCC-cat films to study the activity of the FCC-films in this process. Activity of the acid sites of the zeolite domains in FCC-cat films was found to be similar to that of the acid sites in FCC catalyst particles. Since the zeolite domains are dispersed through the film and the surface, plenty of zeolite-binder interfaces can be found at the surface, that can be easily analyzed. Therefore FCC-cat films are excellent tools to fundamentally study the interaction of FCC catalyst and feedstock on a molecular scale.