The Development of Rare-Earth Free FCC Catalysts

RefineryOperations.com | 2011.04.06
The Development of Rare-Earth Free FCC Catalysts
Rapid Escalation of Rare-Earth Metal Prices Has Accelerated Formulation of Rare-Earth Free Fluid Catalytic Cracking CatalystsColin Baillie and Rosann K. Schiller, Grace Davison Refining Technologies
Rare-earth (RE) metals are important for stabilization of the Y zeolite component of FCC catalysts. World supplies come from only a few sources. China accounts for 95% of the world’s RE metal output. Due to export quota restrictions on RE metals from China, the price of these metals is rising rapidly, which has accelerated development of RE-free FCC catalysts.
Grace has a successful history of developing innovative RE-free FCC catalysts and zeolite components that enhance gasoline octane.In the 1990s, Grace developed the Z-21 RE-free stabilized Y zeolite. Based on this developed technology the NEXUS® catalyst family was commercialized in 1997, as a RE-free catalyst family for low-metal feed applications.
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