We noticed W.R. Grace has taken initiatives, such as E-Cat, to repurpose spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts, thereby reducing the amount of FCC catalysts waste ending up in landfills. 

Many companies reuse spent catalysts to make zeolites, but these zeolites are often of moderate quality. Despite being designed to absorb CO2 from smelting, petrochemical, and nuclear wastewater, they often fail due to limited CO2 absorption capabilities.

We came across an innovation where spent FCC catalysts have been recycled into high-quality, crystalline zeolite A which has a co2 removal efficiency of 99% that is identical to that of commercial zeolite A (99.2%). This highly crystalline zeolite A (SFCC-A) was hydrothermally synthesized using SFCC as a raw material, activated by a newly developed mild, green, and safe fusion method in the presence of NaOH.

Key highlights of the innovation:

• It demonstrated a high Co2+ adsorption capacity of 180.5 mg/g compared to commercially available grades of zeolite (like Iraqi Na-A zeolite, Cancrinite-type zeolite, Zeolite HY, Modified clinoptilolite, etc.)
• The resulting zeolite-A exhibits a static water absorption rate of 26.71 %, surpassing the value specified in GB 6287–86 for the first-class grade of zeolite A.
• The technology has successfully undergone pilot scale-up to 100 L, maintaining consistent performance which shows in capability on industrial adoption.

This innovation shows a simple, mild, and environmentally friendly approach for synthesis of zeolite A  from spent FCC catalyst meeting commercial standards. As W.R. Grace product line includes commercial-grade zeolite absorbent, this method may help the company to offer recycled zeolite and achieve the sustainability goals.