Identification of coke species on Fe/USY catalysts used for recycling polyethylene into fuels

The Fe/USY catalyst used for converting plastic waste into fuels faces coking problems. A comprehensive understanding of coke distribution and structure is crucial for catalyst design, enabling resistance to coke deposition and facilitating regeneration. In this study, we analyze the coke deposition on Fe/USY catalysts after catalytic pyrolysis of polyethylene for fuel oil, and present insights into the coke distribution over the metal and acid sites, as well as its specific molecular structure. The coke distributes over both the metal and acid sites, exhibiting distinct TPO peaks corresponding to metal-site coke (370 °C) and acid-site coke (520 °C). The total coke yields range from 2.0% to 2.4%, with distribution on metal and acid sites dependent on Fe loading and acidity. Structurally, the coke is highly-condensed, containing more than four aromatic rings with limited alkyl groups. The acid-site coke is more condensed than the metal-site coke, showing lower H/C ratios (0.5-0.75) relative to the acid-site coke (0.75-0.9). Identified by MALDI-TOF mass analysis, the predominant molecular structures of the coke located on metal and acid sites are illustrated. The metal-site cokes typically exhibit 4-7 aromatic rings, while the acid-site cokes display even greater condensation with 5-12 aromatic rings.