Ce-Modified Beta Zeolite for Enhanced Catalytic Cracking of n-Hexadecane

doi:10.19894/j.issn.1000-0518.250414

Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry ›› 2026, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (2): 208-216.DOI: 10.19894/j.issn.1000-0518.250414

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Ce-Modified Beta Zeolite for Enhanced Catalytic Cracking of n-Hexadecane

Xiu-Xian JIANG¹^,², Xiao-Mei WANG¹^,², Jing XU¹, Xue-Ting WU¹^,³(), Xiao WANG¹^,²(), Shu-Yan SONG¹^,²(), Hong-Jie ZHANG¹^,²^,⁴, Tatsiana SHUTAVA¹^,⁵

^1.China-Belarus Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Advanced Materials and Manufacturing，Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Changchun 130022，China
^2.School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering，University of Science and Technology of China，Hefei 230026，China
^3.School of Chemistry & Environmental Engineering，Changchun University of Science and Technology，Changchun 130022，China
^4.Department of Chemistry，Tsinghua University，Beijing 100084，China
^5.Institute of Chemistry of New Materials，National Academy of Sciences of Belarus，Minsk 220084，Belarus

Received:2025-10-30 Accepted:2025-12-24 Published:2026-02-01 Online:2026-03-06
Contact: Xue-Ting WU,Xiao WANG,Shu-Yan SONG
About author:songsy@ciac.ac.cn
wangxiao@ciac.ac.cn；
wuxt403@ciac.ac.cn；
Supported by:
the Financial Aid from the National Science and Technology Major Project of China(2022YFB3504000);the Program of Science and Technology Development Plan of Jilin Province of China(SLK202402015);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U23A20140);the Program of Science and Technology Development Plan of Jilin Province of China(20240402056GH)

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Abstract

Abstract:

The catalytic cracking of heavy crude oil into high-value products over rare earth （RE）-modified zeolite is a potential strategy for improving the utilization efficiency of non-renewable petroleum resources. However， the influence of the speciation and distribution of rare earth elements on the catalytic properties of zeolites remains to be fully elucidated. In this work， we synthesized a highly efficient rare earth element Ce-modified Beta zeolite catalyst （Ce-Beta） for the catalytic cracking of n-hexadecane， which exhibits 88.6% n-hexadecane conversion with 82.5% yield of liquid products. Through multiple experimental studies， we revealed that the Ce species coexist in the form of internal Ce ions inside the zeolite micropores and external CeO₂ clusters on the zeolite surface， both of which synergistically increase the acid concentration and strengthen the adsorption capacity for substrates and olefin intermediates， thus significantly enhancing the catalytic cracking activity of Ce-Beta.

Key words: Rare earth zeolite, Catalytic cracking, Petroleum refining, Short-chain hydrocarbons, In situ Raman

CLC Number:

O611

Xiu-Xian JIANG, Xiao-Mei WANG, Jing XU, Xue-Ting WU, Xiao WANG, Shu-Yan SONG, Hong-Jie ZHANG, Tatsiana SHUTAVA. Ce-Modified Beta Zeolite for Enhanced Catalytic Cracking of n-Hexadecane[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Chemistry, 2026, 43(2): 208-216.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 （A） Synthesis schematic，（B） SEM image，（C， D） TEM images at different magnifications and （E） EDX elemental mapping images of Ce-Beta

Fig.2 （A） XRD patterns，（B） FT-IR spectra，（C） UV-Vis spectra，（D） N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms and （E） pore size distribution of P-Beta， CeO2-Beta and Ce-Beta；（F） Ce3d XPS spectra of Ce-Beta

Table 1 Summary of physicochemical properties of P-Beta， CeO2-Beta and Ce-Beta

Catalyst	S_BET/（m²·g^-1）	V_total/（cm³·g^-1）	V_micro/（cm³·g^-1）	D_pore/nm
P-Beta	540.72	0.568 8	0.192 6	0.6
CeO₂-Beta	511.78	0.498 7	0.165 8	0.5
Ce-Beta	607.90	0.503 5	0.216 3	0.7

Table 2 Summary of XPS data of Ce-Beta sample

Peak position/eV	Ce⁴⁺						Ce³⁺
	3d_5/2			3d_3/2			3d_5/2		3d_3/2
	897.7	888.6	884.2	916.3	907.6	903.5	885.0	881.9	905.3	900.8
Atomic/%	16.58	2.14	3.50	15.65	19.08	4.49	38.56	16.03	3.10	10.26

Fig.3 （A） Conversion of n-hexadecane and product yields，（B） carbon number distribution of products for P-Beta， CeO2-Beta and Ce-Beta； Conversion of n-hexadecane and product yields under （C） different reaction times，（D） different reaction temperatures，（E） different reaction pressures and （F） different catalyst-to-n-hexadecane ratios for Ce-Beta

Fig.4 （A） Propane-TPD，（B） propylene-TPD and （C） NH3-TPD of P-Beta， CeO2-Beta and Ce-Beta；（D） In situ Raman spectra and surface intermediate evolution of Ce-Beta

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Ce-Modified Beta Zeolite for Enhanced Catalytic Cracking of n-Hexadecane

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