The supported Ni co-catalyst surface of the thermocatalytic cracking (TCC) hybrid catalyst produces very
active hydrogen species. Such species, once transferred (spilt-over) onto the surface of the main catalyst
component (cracking sites), interact with the adsorbed reaction intermediates, resulting in a decreased formation
of coke precursors (polynuclear aromatics) and the dearomatization/ring-opening of some heavy compounds
of the feed. Simultaneously, there is a significant increase in the product yields of light olefins, particularly
ethylene and propylene. Analysis of reaction products after 10 h of continuous reaction shows the very
significant effects of these co-catalysts on heavy feedstocks such as vacuum gas oils, although the amounts
of these (spilt-over) hydrogen species are very small, in comparison to the molecular hydrogen produced by
the cracking reactions.
The thermocatalytic cracking (TCC) process, which can selectively produce light olefins (mostly, ethylene and propylene for the petrochemical industry) and transportation fuels (gasoline and diesel fuel), combines the effects of thermal and catalytic cracking reactions. The TCC catalysts consist mainly of mixed metal oxides supported on a high-surface area -thermally stabilized alumina. The best TCC catalyst formulation includes a co-catalyst, which provides the main catalyst component with active hydrogen species formed from hydrogen and other hydrocarbons, particularly methane, produced mainly by thermal cracking. The interparticular interactions of these hydrogen spilt-over species can occur because these species can be easily transferred from one particle to the other through the newly formed pore connections
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