Catalyst composition

Cracking and hydrocracking of hydrocarbons may be carried out using a catalyst composition comprising crystalline aluminosilicate in an inorganic oxide matrix and prepared by subjecting a mixture comprising crystalline alkali metal aluminosilicate and inorganic oxide matrix material to steaming until the mixture contains less than 0.6 wt. per cent exchangeable alkali metal, as described in Division B1. General cracking conditions are 370 DEG to 650 DEG C., pressure from subatmospheric to several hundred atmos. In moving-bed cracking processes, reaction conditions include temperatures above 455 DEG C., pressures from sub-atmospheric to 3 atmos., catalyst: oil ratios of 1.5 to 15, LHSV of 0.5 to 6. Fluid cracking conditions include catalyst to oil ratios of 1 to 30. Examples refer to converting a gas-oil boiling range 230 DEG to 510 DEG C. to gasoline having an end-point of 210 DEG C. Hydrocracking conditions are temperatures between 204 DEG and 510 DEG C., hydrogen pressure 100 to 3000 p.s.i.g., LHSV between 0.1 and 10, molar ratio of hydrogen to hydrocarbon between 2 and 80. Hydrocarbon fractions which may be hydrocracked include gas oils, residual oils, cycle stocks, whole topped crudes, fractions derived by destructive hydrogenation of coal, tars, pitches and asphalt, and for hydrocracking the catalyst composition includes a hydrogenation component which may be Cr, Mo, W, Co, Ni, Pt, Pd, Rh, their oxides or sulphides.ALSO:A catalytic composition comprising crystalline aluminosilicate and an inorganic oxide matrix is prepared by a method comprising mixing the aluminosilicate and the matrix material, together with a polyvalent metal salt if the aluminosilicate has silicon/aluminium ratio less than 1.5, and subjecting the resulting mixture to steam at a temperature above 425 DEG C until the mixture contains less than 0.6 weight % of exchangeable alkali metal, the amount of matrix material being sufficient to provide at least 40% by weight of final composition if polyvalent metal salt is present, or at least 50% by weight if no polyvalent metal is mixed. The crystalline aluminosilicate may be zeolite A, Y, L, T or X, gmelinite, erionite faujasite, chabazite or derived from caustic-treated clays, for example montmorillonites or kaolins including bentonites, halloysite, kaolinite, dickite, nacrite or anauxite, and preferably has a SiO2:Al2O3 ratio of at least 2.3 and a pore size of from 6A to 15A. The inorganic oxide matrix may be crystalline, amorphous or bot