MAGNETIC AND CHEMICAL-PROPERTIES OF MAGNETICALLY SEPARATED FRACTIONS OF EQUILIBRIUM CRACKING CATALYSTS LADEN WITH IRON, NICKEL, AND VANADIUM, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAGNACAT(TM) PROCESS AND MAGNETIC HOOKS(TM) FOR SELECTIVELY REMOVING OLD CATALYST

Magnetic separation of fluid cracking catalyst contaminated with nickel, vanadium, and iron enables removal of old inactive catalyst particles with poor selectivity from the more active and selective fresher catalyst particles. This removal results in a savings of catalyst addition cost while also improving activity and selectivity, all of which contribute to an attractive payout. The newly-introduced MagnaCat(TM) process was developed to effectively achieve this separation. Discovery of a highly-magnetic specie formed on old catalyst is also reported, and based on this finding, a new "magnetic hook(TM)" concept is introduced. Iron, manganese, and the heavy rare earths, including gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, and thulium, show promise as magnetic hook additives. The paramagnetic properties of these elements when deposited on catalyst are reported.