Synthesis of ultrafine NaY zeolite and its catalytic properties for aromatics conversion

Ultrafine zeolite NaY was hydrothermally synthesized with silica gel and Al_2(SO_4)_3 as silicon and aluminium sources, respectively. The effects of time for aging of the gel and structure-directing reagent, temperature for colloiding, and crystallization temperature and time on crystal size of as-synthesized NaY zeolite wereinvestigated. NaY zeolite with crystal size of less than 200 nm, SiO_2/Al_2O_3 of higher than 5 and BET area of 890 m~2·g~(-1) was synthesized under optimum condition. Catalytic properties of the as-synthesized and conventional NaY zeolite catalysts as the carriers of platinum were investigated using toluene as the model compound. The results showed that activity and selectivity of the catalysts using as-synthesized ultrafine NaY zeolite as the carrier were comparable to the conventional catalyst, with remarkably increased cycloisomerization product and decreased cracking product.