title: X-ray Fluorescence Tomography of Aged Fluid-Catalytic-Cracking Catalyst Particles Reveals Insight into Metal Deposition Processes.
abstract: Microprobe X-ray fluorescence tomography was used to investigate metal poison deposition in individual, intact and industrially deactivated fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) particles at two differing catalytic life-stages. 3 D multi-element imaging, at submicron resolution was achieved by using a large-array Maia fluorescence detector. Our results show that Fe, Ni and Ca have significant concentration at the exterior of the FCC catalyst particle and are highly co-localized. As concentrations increase as a function of catalytic life-stage, the deposition profiles of Fe, Ni, and Ca do not change significantly. V has been shown to penetrate deeper into the particle with increasing catalytic age. Although it has been previously suggested that V is responsible for damaging the zeolite components of FCC particles, no spatial correlation was found for V and La, which was used as a marker for the embedded zeolite domains. This suggests that although V is known to be detrimental to zeolites in FCC particles, a preferential interaction does not exist between the two.
authors.affiliation: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht (The Netherlands) E-mail: f.meirer@uu.nl b.m.weckhuysen@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Sam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalirai
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg (Germany).
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Boesenberg
authors.affiliation: Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY Notkestrasse 85, 22607, Hamburg (Germany).
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Falkenberg
authors.affiliation: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht (The Netherlands) E-mail: f.meirer@uu.nl b.m.weckhuysen@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meirer
authors.affiliation: Inorganic Chemistry and Catalysis Group, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG, Utrecht (The Netherlands) E-mail: f.meirer@uu.nl b.m.weckhuysen@uu.nl.
authors.forename: Bert M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Weckhuysen
keywords: X-ray fluorescence; cracking; lanthanum; vanadium; zeolites