Catalytic cracking of naphtha: The effect of Fe and Cr impregnated ZSM-5 on olefin selectivity

This study focuses on the modification of ZSM-5 in order to enhance the catalytic cracking of refinery naphtha to produce light olefins. ZSM-5 was metal modified using different loadings (0.5–5 wt%) of Fe and Cr via the impregnation method. The metal modified ZSM-5 samples are compared and the effect of metal loading on the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance is investigated. Fe and Cr modification had an effect on both the physicochemical properties of the catalysts as well as catalytic activity and selectivity. Metal loading caused a decrease in the specific surface area which decreased further with increased metal loading. Fe had a greater effect on the total acidity in particular strong acid sites when compared to Cr. The optimum Fe loading was established which promoted selectivity to olefins, in particular propylene. Fe also had a dominant effect on the P/E ratio of which a remarkable ratio of five was achieved as well as enhanced the stability of the catalyst. Cr was found to be a good promoter for selectivity to BTX products with a two-fold increase observed when compared to Fe-modified catalysts.