Multitechnique characterization of coke produced during commercial resid FCC operation

The characterization of industrial coked resid fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) catalysts is reported. The aim is to provide insight into the coke deposition on commercial resid fluid catalytic cracking catalysts sampled after the stripper of a commercial RFCC unit and to relate it to the potential process chemistry. Physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the used catalysts and the deposited coke. 95% of the coke was insoluble in CH ₂Cl₂. This coke was located in the mesopores of the catalyst matrix. The results suggest the existence of domains of polyaromatic and heterogeneously distributed coke, in which saturated hydrocarbons are trapped. IR spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine shows that the largest fraction of strong Brønsted acid sites is free after the catalyst has passed the stripper. The results indicate that for RFCC not the local deactivation of the acid sites but rather blocking of domains of the catalyst is the most important mode of deactivation after passing through the riser reactor.