Cr⁶⁺ Loaded Lewis Acidic Sn‐Beta Zeolites as Reusable Catalysts for Selective Production of Light Olefins via Polyolefin Cracking

Abstract Catalysts for the selective recovery of light olefins from polyolefins should be developed to save limited fossil resources. It is previously revealed that Brønsted acid‐free Sn‐Beta zeolites selectively produced light olefins from polyolefin cracking. Brønsted acid sites ionize olefins by protonation and the generated carbenium ions are converted into other hydrocarbons via various reactions, thereby the elimination of their effects led to the improvement of light olefin production ability. However, the deactivation of zeolites by coke deposition is a critical problem for industrialization. Inhibition of coking deactivation is previously achieved by doping Cr⁶⁺ species connected to silanol groups in zeolites. This work aimed to inhibit coke deposition and realize selective and continuous production of light olefins through repetitive polyolefin catalytic cracking. Sn‐Beta zeolites are prepared with various crystallinity by changing the feed fluoride ions content in their synthesis and found that their activity on low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) cracking strongly depended on the feed F/Si ratios, implying the active sites for polyolefin cracking are Lewis acidic open‐Sn sites. Moreover, Cr⁶⁺‐doped Sn‐Beta zeolites showed over 45% light olefin yields even in the third LDPE cracking test, although excess Cr adding led to reduce the catalytic activity of Sn‐Beta zeolites.