Global Major Refining Catalysts Development Status(2)

The Achieve-400 catalyst and its accompanying GBA additive, developed by Grace, USA, promote more butene production by preferentially cracking C≥7 olefins in gasoline. The industrial application in a 2.5 million t/a FCC plant designed by UOP, USA, shows that the catalyst can improve the selectivity of propylene and butene compared to the original catalyst, which facilitates butene production, while improving the octane number of naphtha. the GBA additive provides a flexible production solution that ensures higher butene and propylene selectivity while improving butene yield. Compared to traditional low carbon olefin additives, GBA additives can be profitable for US$2-5 million/a.

Grace has developed the OlefinsUltra series of multipropene additives. Among them, OlefinsUltraHZ is suitable for multi-propene units, and OlefinsUltraMZ is suitable for units requiring higher propylene yields.

The combination of OlefinsUltraHZ additive and the company's ProtAgon-4G catalyst, which increases the propylene yield to more than 12%, provides the following features: (1) higher propylene yield and catalytic activity; (2) optimized fractionator tower bottom oil quality with adjustable coke difference, as required; (3) improved FCC plant performance; and (4) improved FCC plant performance. (3) improved operational flexibility of FCC units; (4) excellent fluidization and catalyst wear resistance.

The main task of the FCC unit is to improve the liquid yield and reduce slurry generation. Metal ion contaminants such as iron, nickel and vanadium in heavy feedstock oil are key factors affecting the effectiveness of FCC catalyst use. Nickel ions are used as highly active dehydrogenation catalyst components to improve hydrogen and coke yields. In the feedstock, even a small amount of nickel ions deposited on the catalyst surface can lead to improved hydrogen and coke yields.

In response to the passivation of nickel ions, BASF has developed a catalyst technology platform for residue FCC - Boron-Based Technology (BBT). The key to this technology is the selective capture of unpassivated nickel ions under FCC reaction conditions using the mobility of boron ions. Compared with conventional metal passivation technology, BBT technology increases metal resistance and improves catalytic performance. 

The 1st generation BoroCat catalyst developed using this technology combines metal passivation functionality with a pore structure that minimizes the dispersion restriction of heavy oil feedstock molecules with the aim of improving residue conversion. Industrial applications have shown a reduction in hydrogen yield and coke differential, while improving the yield of high value-added gasoline and low carbon olefins, and improving the quality of the fractionator tower bottom oil. 

Compared to the 1st generation catalyst which can only treat feeds containing partial residue, the 2nd generation catalyst (Borotec) can treat FCC feeds with full residue, achieving maximum residue conversion. The 3rd generation catalyst (Boroflex) offers a significant improvement in tower bottom oil quality while meeting all the performance requirements of the 2nd generation.

BASF has also developed a catalyst for heavy residue FCC (FortressBXT) that effectively passivates a wide range of metals and improves liquid product yields. The catalyst uses dedicated alumina and vanadium ion trapping technology for FCC units requiring high metal ion passivation and reduced hydrogen and coke yields; the pore structure is designed to accommodate iron ions, which reduces slurry generation and improves liquid product yields; and the low sodium ion content of the fresh catalyst improves catalytic activity retention, also at high vanadium ion content.