The deactivation of USY zeolites with different rare earth contents due to the coke formed from n-heptane at 450oC was studied. The results show that the presence of rare earth elements decreases the cracking and coking activities, increasing catalytic stability. However, reaction selectivity was not significantly influenced. The greater the rare earth content, the lower the coking rates and the coke contents. The TPO/DSC profiles suggested that the catalytic effect of the rare earth elements promoted coke oxidation.
Coke; deactivation; REY zeolites
