Zirconium-aluminum-phosphorus catalyst and method for preparing the same, employed for the cracking of hydrocarbons

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CRACKING A HYDROCARBON CHARGE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING THE SAME UNDER CATALYTIC CRACKING CONDITIONS WITH A CATALYST CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING COMBINATION OF ALUMINUM, ZIRCONIUM AND PHOSPHORUS WHEREIN THE ATOMIC RATIO OF ALUMINUM TO ZIRCONIUM IS BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND ABOUT 10 AND IN WHICH THE ATOMIC RATIO OF THE COMBINED ALUMINUM AND ZIRCONIUM CONTENT TO PHOSPHORUS IS BETWEEN ABOUT 0.1 AND ABOUT 10, SAID CATALYST RESULTING FROM REACTION, IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION, OF A WATER-SOLUBLE SALT OF ALUMINUM, A WATER-SOLUBLE SALT OF ZIRCONIUM AND A WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYACIDS OF PHOSPHORUS AND SALTS OF SAID ACIDS YIELDING AN ACIDIC HY DROSOL, PERMITTING SAID HYDROSOL TO SET TO A HYDROGEL, AGING THE HYDROGEL FOR A PERIOD OF BETWEEN ABOUT 1 AND ABOUT 48 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE APPROXIMATE RANGE OF 120-212*F. IN AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SALT OF AN ACID HAVING A DISSOCIATION CONSTANT OF LESS THAN ABOUT 1.7X10-**2, WHICH SALT IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THOSE OF AMMONIUM AND ALKALI METAL SALTS, WASHING THE HYDROGEL FREE OF WATER-SOLUBLE MATTER AND DRYING THE WASHED HYDROGEL.