LUDOX^® Colloidal Silica for Catalyst Binders

Colloidal silica is an effective binder and carrier for catalytic materials.
The chief properties of LUDOX^® colloidal silica important for this application are

• Excellent inorganic binder
• Inert in most chemical systems
• Stable at normal reaction temperatures
• High specific surface area enhances catalytic activity

For this application, a slurry or solution of the active catalyst may be mixed with colloidal silica, followed by evaporation to dryness.
A precipitating agent may be added to the mixture, followed by filtration and drying. Alternatively, colloidal silica may be gelled under controlled conditions and dried to form a carrier of predetermined pore size and distribution to which the active catalyst is then added.

LUDOX^® colloidal silica is also useful to prepare catalysts for cracking and disproportionating hydrocarbons. A catalyst with higher concentrations of alumina can be prepared by simultaneously precipitating alumina and gelling the colloidal silica to form a product of any desired alumina to silica ratio.

LUDOX^® HS and AS colloidal silica are the grades normally used for this application. Examples of other uses for LUDOX^® colloidal silica in catalyst manufacturing can be found in the patent literature.