Sulfur reduction in FCC gasoline using catalyst additives

Among the various options available for the reduction of gasoline sulfur in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), a viable option would be the use of FCC catalyst additives. Alumina supported zinc, titanium and gallium additives were prepared, mixed with Y-zeolite based FCC catalyst and the catalyst-additive mixture was evaluated for their sulfur reduction ability in micro-activity test unit (MAT). A 30% reduction in gasoline sulfur was achieved with Ga/alumina additive. The sulfur reduction ability of the Ga/alumina additive was higher than zinc/alumina and titanium/alumina additives. The additives slightly reduced catalyst's cracking activity with no change in coke yield.