Laboratory deactivation testing for the stability of FCC CO combustion promoters

Realistic lab deactivation facilitates the development of low NOx, CO combustion promoters for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) applications. Cyclic deactivation, which provides a close simulation of the FCC operation, can address many possibilities for the deactivation of CO combustion promoters. Here we present our results using a combination of cyclic deactivation and a coke combustion test to predict additive performance after deactivation. By using this newly developed method, CO combustion promoters with exceptional performance were identified. These novel materials feature CO reduction performance similar to that of Pt-based promoters while still offering significant NOx reduction relative to Pt. Examples are also given using a more traditional hydrothermal deactivation approach.