Investigation of zeolite modification methods in n-hexane catalytic cracking process

One of the main processes of producing light olefins is catalytic cracking. The commercial catalysts used in this process are zeolite catalysts. According to the operating conditions of the reaction, the used catalysts are deactivated after some time. One of the major challenges in this process is finding an optimal catalyst that, in addition to proper performance, has high selectivity over propylene. In order to reduce the penetration resistance of materials in zeolite micropores and easier access of materials to active sites and to create mesopores, numerous modifications were made using pre- and post-synthesis methods (synthesis of zeolite with special morphology, crystal size reduction, dealumination and desilication) has been done. These modifications have increased the lifetime and improved catalyst performance. In this research, the recent developments about zeolite catalysts and methods of improving the performance of ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts in the catalytic cracking process of normal hexane have been described.