Effects of Colloidal Silica Binder on Catalytic Activity and Adhesion of HZSM-5 Coatings for Structured Reactors

HZSM-5 coating using three colloidal silica binders, acidic colloidal silica (ACS), neutral colloidal silica (NCS) and basic colloidal silica (BCS), was prepared to study the effect of binders on their adhesion and catalytic activity. Scanning electron microscopy characterization indicated that the zeolite coating using BCS shows the smoothest surface with higher homogeneity and adherence strength. The specific surface area, relative crystallization and acid site strength of zeolites are also dependent on the binder used. Catalytic cracking of supercritical n-dodecane over the series of zeolite coating with various binders indicated that HZSM-5 coating with BCS exhibits the highest and the most stable catalytic activity compared with other kinds of binders, and also exhibits a stable catalytic activity ascribed to its proper acid property and microstructure.