Atomic-Insight into Zeolite Catalyst Forming-an Advanced NMR Study

The main goal of this study is to understand, at the atomic level, the chemical interactions occurring between an active phase, a FAU zeolite in this case, and its binder during catalyst forming. This unit operation is a critical step in catalyst scale up and commercialization but has not received the attention it deserves from academia. Herein, we present atomic level insight into the solid-state chemistry taking place during the extrusion process by advanced NMR spectroscopy techniques (indirect(27)Al{H-1}DNP MAS and Al-27-{Si-29} J-HMQC). In particular, we: (i) elucidate the chemical reactions taking place between a type Y FAU zeolite (Si/Al = 2.3) and a binder (pseudo-boehmite), producing new active sites different than those present in either the zeolite or binder and (ii) determine the location of these new active sites by a combination of DNP build-up time (T-DNP) extracted from {H-1}-Al-27 saturation-recovery cross polarization experiments and 2D heteronuclear Si-29-Al-27 NMR. This illustrates the power of advanced NMR techniques to elucidate the nature and location of newly created active sites during catalyst forming and provides insight into a key step to further fine-tune industrial catalysts.

Automated summary

This study aims to understand the chemical interactions between an active phase (FAU zeolite) and a binder during catalyst forming using advanced NMR spectroscopy techniques. The research provides insights into the solid-state chemistry during the extrusion process and the creation of new active sites different from those in the original materials. Advanced NMR techniques are shown to be powerful tools in elucidating the nature and location of newly created active sites during catalyst forming.