PTQ Q3 2024 Issue

Physical properties of SSG X2 vs SSG II

SOx breakthrough (2h s ulphation) @ 700˚C

1200

Physicals SA, m²/g

SSG II

SSG X2

(1000ppm SO + 1% O) switch to reactor

113

1000

A.I., w/w

1.1

1.3

800

ABD, g/cm³

0.85

APS, μm

600

400

Table 1

200

interaction also provided better particle sintering resist - ance, thereby improving the stability and activity of the additive over time. It is understood that cerium oxide par - ticle sintering leads to rapid deactivation of SOx reduction additives due to a reduction in the number of active sites available for Step 1: Oxidation.5 The new SOx reduction additive, SuperSoxGetter X2 (SSG X2), allows FCC unit operators across the globe to:  Achieve the same SOx reduction using less additive; in other words, reduce their daily operating cost. v Expand their FCC unit operating window; in other words, improve their FCC unit margin. Laboratory physical properties analysis The new additive’s metal interaction with the support has been optimised without compromising its excellent physi - cal properties, as exemplified in Table 1 . These SOx reduc - tion additives exhibit low attrition and fines and possess a suitable particle size distribution, apparent bulk density (ABD), and surface area (SA), making them ideal for FCC applications. Sorption-desorption laboratory testing results Figure 1 presents a comparison of the SOx uptake and release capabilities of SSG X2 and SSG II using two dis - tinct benchtop-scale setups for evaluating SOx removal additives. Quartz reactors in a fixed fluid bed configuration were used to evaluate one-pass SOx uptake and release abilities. SOx pick-up was carried out by flowing a 1,000 ppm SO₂/1%O2/N₂ gas mixture over a sample after it had been heated in N₂ at 700ºC for 30 minutes. The efflu - ent gas was monitored by an IR analyser. Temperature- programmed sulphur release (TPSR) with reducing gas

0 0 1000 2000 3000 4000

5000

6000

7000

Time (s)

SSG II, fresh

SSG X2, fresh SSG II, steamed SSG X2, steamed

Temperature programmed s ulphur release

50 100 150 350 250 300 200 400

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

Temperature (˚C)

Figure 1 SOx breakthrough (top) and SOx release (bottom) profiles

Development of a novel SOx reduction additive Johnson Matthey’s work around SOx reduction additive performance highlighted the significant contribution of Step 1: Oxidation. Cerium oxide plays a crucial role in the selective oxidation of SO₂ to SO₃.⁷. Research revealed that a high number of active sites, active site reducibility, and active site stability improve additive performance. The development of an optimised metal dispersion and met- al-support interaction led to a significant increase in the number of active sites for oxidation compared to the cur - rent benchmark additive Super SoxGetter II (SSG II). Besides enhancing the efficiency of SO₂ to SO₃ oxida - tion, an optimised cerium dispersion and metal-support

One - pass 2h SOx uptake, wt%

TGA-SOx 9th cycle SOx uptake, wt%

10.00 15.00 20.00 30.00 25.00 35.00 40.00

0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.20 1.00 1.40 1.60

SSG II Std SSG X2

SSG II

SSG X2

+42%

+19%

+32%

+50%

1.43

35.04

1.33

1.20

28.00

1.01

24.64

18.70

0.00 5.00

Fresh, wt%

Steamed, wt%

Fresh, wt%

Steamed, wt%

Figure 2 Laboratory performance ranking of SSG X2 and SSG II

PTQ Q3 2024