Facile Synthesis of Mesoporous Zeolite Y with Improved Catalytic Performance for Heavy Oil Fluid Catalytic Cracking

A facile and direct approach for the synthesis of mesoporous zeolite Y by using [(CH3O)3SiC3H6N(CH3)2-C18H37]Cl as template is presented. Under the basic condition of the Y synthesis system, (CH3O)3Si– bonds hydrolyze to −Si–OH, and yield −Si–O–Al– and −Si–O–Si– linkages that anchor the template in zeolite framework. Afterward, micelles formed by −C18H37 lead to the formation of mesoporosity within zeolite Y crystals. This material, which introduces intracrystalline mesoporosity into zeolite Y, shows superior catalytic performance when used in heavy oil catalytic cracking.