Kinetics of n-hexane cracking over ZSM-5 zeolites - Effect of crystal size on effectiveness factor and catalyst lifetime

The catalytic cracking of n-hexane over ZSM-5 zeolite (MFI-type zeolite, Si/Al = 150 and 240) catalysts was examined at reaction temperatures ranging from 823 to 923 K under atmospheric pressure. The reaction rate constants and activation energies of n-hexane cracking over ZSM-5 zeolites with various crystal sizes and Si/Al ratios were evaluated. The catalytic cracking of n-hexane was first order with respect to the n-hexane concentration, and the activation energies of n-hexane cracking over ZSM-5 zeolites were found to be approximately 123-128 kJ mol(-1). Compared with the macro-sized zeolite, the nano-sized zeolites exhibited high n-hexane conversion with stable activity for 50 h. This is because the cracking reaction with nano-sized zeolite proceeded under reaction-limiting conditions, whereas the reaction with macro-sized zeolite proceeded under transition conditions between reaction- and diffusion-limiting conditions. As a result, the application of nano-zeolite to the catalytic cracking of n-hexane was effective and gave light olefins with high yield and excellent stable activity. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.