Synthesis and catalytic cracking performance of mesoporous zeolite Y

•Block copolymer P123 was employed as template to prepare mesoporous zeolite Y.•High-crystallinity mesoporous zeolite Y was obtained using hydrothermal method.•The mesoporous catalyst showed better performance in micro-activity test.

Mesoporous zeolite Y (denoted as meso-Y) was synthesized using hydrothermal synthesis method using pluronic P123 block copolymer as template. Furthermore, stabilized Y (USY) was prepared through ion exchange and ultra-stabilization process of the meso-Y. The catalysts were prepared and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, N2 adsorption–desorption, NH3-TPD and Py-IR. These catalysts were evaluated by determining the micro-activity using the light diesel oil as sample. The results showed that the Meso-CAT-3 catalyst had the highest micro-activity and lowest coke yield. It could be ascribed to the mesoporous structure which is known to improve the mass transfer of the larger molecules.

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