CrHZSM-5 Zeolites – Highly Efficient Catalysts for Catalytic Cracking of Isobutane to Produce Light Olefins

The CrHZSM-5 catalysts with trace amount of Cr were firstly used for catalytic cracking of isobutane, and the effect of Cr-loading on the catalytic performances of CrHZSM-5 catalysts for the cracking of isobutane was also studied. The results suggested that when the loading of Cr in the CrHZSM-5 catalysts was less than 0.038 mmol/g Cr, especially at Cr loading of 0.004 mmol/g, both the reactivity of isobutane cracking and the selectivity to light olefins of CrHZSM-5 samples were greatly enhanced compared with the unpromoted HZSM-5, and very high yields of olefins(C₂+C₃) and ethylene were obtained. For instance, the yield of olefins(C₂+C₃) and ethylene reached 56.1% and 30.8%, respectively, at 625 °C when 0.004 mmol/g Cr was loaded on HZSM-5 sample.