Zeolites in Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC)

Zeolites in Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC)

Type	Book Section
Author	Vasileios Komvokis
Author	Lynne Xin Lin Tan
URL	http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-47395-5_8
Series	Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology
Pages	271-297
Date	2016
Abstract	Soon after entering the industrial scene, zeolites found many applications in petroleum processing. However, catalytic cracking remains the largest consumer of zeolite catalyst. Currently, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts account for more than 95 % of the global zeolite catalyst consumption (primarily USY zeolite). Fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCUs) around the world currently process around 15 million barrels per day and constitute the main conversion process in a typical fuels refinery. Primary output from FCC units is gasoline, and due to their pivotal role in fluid catalytic cracking, zeolite catalysts have fueled our industrialized society by providing majority of the transportation fuels used, thus directly impacting the global economy. To enhance the light olefin yields from FCCUs as a result of the increasing demand for building blocks for the chemical industry such as propylene and butylene, the FCC catalyst compositions are being modified by tuning their formulations and introducing different types of zeolite structures as additives. Using these zeolite-based catalyst formulations, many new FCC units worldwide also provide the critical starting points for petrochemical value chains. Hence, for the global supply of both fuels and chemicals, zeolite-based FCC catalysts are of paramount strategic and commercial importance.
Book Title	Zeolites in Sustainable Chemistry