Transition-metal-loaded zeolite Y catalysts were prepared from LaY by exchanging with cobalt, nickel and palladium ions, followed by reduction in a hydrogen stream. The reactions of 1-butene and n-butane were studied on Co-, Ni-and Pd-loaded Y as well...
Transition-metal-loaded zeolite Y catalysts were prepared from LaY by exchanging with cobalt, nickel and palladium ions, followed by reduction in a hydrogen stream. The reactions of 1-butene and n-butane were studied on Co-, Ni-and Pd-loaded Y as well as La-exchanged Y using micro-catalytic pulse technique. For 1-butene reaction Ni-, Co-, Pd-loaded Y and La-exchanged Y all showed high activity suggesting that the acidic component, not the metallic component, was primarily responsible for the activity. For n-butane reaction on La-exchanged Y, the addition of 1-butene enhanced the activity. Significant cracking conversion of n-butane was observed for Ni-and Pd-loaded Y. Activity was higher on samples reduced at higher temperature and of higher metal content. It seems that the dehydrogenation to butenes at metallic sites is the primary step in the n-butane cracking reaction. On Ni-Y the cracking product was C_1$ both from the mixture of 1-butane and hydrogen and from n-butane. It may be that on Ni-Y, n-butane is dehydrogenated to butenes and subsequently hydro-cracked to C_1$.