Effects of feed properties in spray drying formulation of prototype industrial cracking catalysts

This paper studied the effects of feed properties in spray drying formulation of prototype industrial cracking catalysts at the laboratory scale. The results showed that the pH of the drying feed mainly affected the active phase HY zeolite. At a high pH value, a strongly alkaline medium (pH 14), the HY zeolite structure was completely destroyed, resulting in the cracking catalyst with a low surface area. Hence, the pH of the drying feed should be adjusted to a low value, preferably a slightly acidic medium (pH 3). The solid content mainly affected the particle size of the cracking catalyst. As increasing the solid content in the drying feed, the particle size of the cracking catalysts increased and reached the maximum average value at about 40 μm which corresponded to the solid content of 15 wt.%. At a higher solid content (20 wt.%), the catalyst particle size and surface area tended to decrease. Thus, the solid content of 15 wt.% was considered to be optimal.