Organic-Free Synthesis of Zeolite Y with High Si/Al Ratios: Combined Strategy of In Situ Hydroxyl Radical Assistance and Post-Synthesis Treatment

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2020 Sep 21;59(39):17225-17228. doi: 10.1002/anie.202005715. Epub 2020 Aug 13.

Abstract

Zeolite Y, with a high SiO2 /Al2 O3 ratio (SAR), plays an important role in fluidized catalytic cracking processes. However, in situ synthesis of zeolite Y with high SARs remains a challenge because of kinetic limitations. Here, zeolite Y with an SAR of 6.35 is synthesized by a hydroxyl radical assisted route. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that hydroxyl radicals preferentially enhanced the formation of Si-O-Si bonds, thus leading to an increased SAR. To further increase the SAR, a dealumination process was carried out using citric acid, with a subsequent second-step hydrothermal crystallization, giving an SAR of up to 7.5 while maintaining good crystallinity and high product yield. The resultant zeolite Y shows good performance in cumene cracking. Introduced here is a new strategy for synthesizing high SAR zeolite Y, which is widely used in commercial applications.

Keywords: cracking; density-functional calculations; heterogeneous catalysis; radicals; zeolites.