ADVANCED DE-SOX CATALYST - MIXED SOLID-SOLUTION SPINELS WITH CERIUM OXIDE

Mixed solid solution spinels impregnated with cerium, Ce/MgO.MgAl2-xMxO4 (M=Fe, V, Cr, x less-than-or-equal-to 0.4), were studied for controlling the SOx emission from the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) regenerator. An insufficient sulfur release problem inherent to the earlier De-SOx catalyst, Ce/MgO.MgAl2O4, was effectively overcome by incorporating a transition metal into the spinel structure. Studies of the SOx pickup, temperature profile for the sulfate reduction, the thermal analysis, and the De-SOx cycle test in the batch as well as the automated continuous reactor are discussed to define the role of a transition metal in the mixed spinels for the De-SOx performance. These advanced De-SOx catalysts have led to a commercial success for the simultaneous control of SOx and NOx emissions from the FCC regenerator.