Combined effect of nanoporous diluent and steam on catalytic upgrading of fuel oil to olefins and fuels over USY catalyst

This paper explores the effect of incorporation of a nanoporous silica as diluent for a USY catalyst in the presence or absence of steam, as a cost-effective hydrogen donor and regenerative agent, in the fuel oil upgrading. We found that the incorporation of inert silica in the catalyst particles in the presence of steam could produce more than 40 wt% of olefinic products, mainly propylene, in the cracked products. With the elimination of steam, the olefins yield became less than a half (about 17 wt%) and the reaction tended towards higher liquid yields (74.8 wt%) including gasoline and diesel fuel.