Catalytic DEWAXING
In the upgrading of paraffinic feedstocks, dewaxing is an essential zeolite-catalyzed hydro-treatment to ensure a better cold flow quality of heavier diesel and lubes streams for colder climates or usage conditions. Catalytic dewaxing has proven a more effective and cost efficient method compared to other methods, such as blending with gasoline, using expensive additives, etc. Specific pentasil- or SAPO-based bifunctional catalysts are used to selectivity crack or isomerize the long linear components, hereby improving the cloud point, pour point, and viscosity, ensuring maximum motor performances.
The benefits of mesoporous zeolites in dewaxing are in line with those obtained in the hydrocracking domain: higher middle distillates yields, improved activity, longer time on stream, reduced hydrogen consumption, and enhanced product properties. Zeopore has attained such benefits in collaborations on model compounds (see the below application note), as well as actual feedstocks.
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The variety of zeolites used for dewaxing is relatively large, requiring specific technologies for each different zeolite. For example, technology to manufacture a mesoporous ZSM-5 differs night-and-day with what is required to produce a superior accessible SAPO-11. Moreover, the zeolites used in dewaxing can be relatively costly putting large pressure on a potential post-synthetic strategy.
The full benefits are unlocked only when zeolite and catalyst formulations are modified in the right manner. Like the bifunctional USY-based hydrocracking catalysts, the superior accessible dewaxing catalyst requires balancing of the mesoporous zeolite with the shaping and metal deposition.
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Zeopore’s broad portfolio of technologies forms the perfect toolbox to deal with the demanding nature of the zeolitic materials used in dewaxing. Zeopore has customized recipes to mesoporize ZSM-5, as well as more exotic zeolites such as ZSM-23, EU-2, and SAPO-11. Our development efforts have resulted in specific technologies which do not involve any costly ingredients or exotic unit operations, and feature unprecedented mesopore formation efficiency.
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For specific zeolites, such as ZSM-5 or beta, Zeopore’s ability to mesoporize and control the acidity opens to the door to combine attaining the abovementioned benefits with a reduction in overall catalysts cost. Read more on this opportunity in the below application note.
Finally, Zeopore is intimately aware of the challenges and opportunities in moving from powder to zeolite-based catalyst. For example, both for noble and non-noble metal-based dewaxing catalyst Zeopore’s patented technologies have enabled enhanced metal dispersions, and thereby a more tailored and cost-effective use of the costly metal function.
PRESS RELEASE
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Making diesel winter-proof is currently an expensive process as refiners face high diesel yield losses or have to turn to expensive additives or kerosene blending. hte GmbH examined the catalytic dewaxing performance of Zeopore's proprietary zeolite mesoporization technology in its high throughput testing facility using industrial feeds and process conditions. The results are phenomenal, as covered and described in the press release below. In this regard, a press release is available, titled: 'Catalytic dewaxing: Zeopore reaches 30°C cloud point improvement with diesel yield loss under 2wt%'.
