Current views on the mechanism of catalytic cracking

The cracking mechanisms of hydrocarbons have been reviewed and the kinetic and thermodynamic implications of the different steps, i.e. initiation, chain propagation, and termination, have been discussed. Although the cracking mechanism of olefins and alkylaromatics is well established, the initiation step for the cracking of paraffins is still under debate. The role of Brönsted-type active sites and also the possible influence of extra-framework Al species in the case of zeolite catalysts, especially when commercial feeds and industrial conditions are employed, are presented. The product distribution is determined by the number of propagation events occurring per initiation step, and this can be controlled by carefully selecting the precise reaction conditions and the catalyst (including its composition and pore topology).