Preparation of a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite in a siliceous matrix

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR PREPARING A CATALYST COMPOSITION COMPRISING A METAL-CONTAINING, ESSENTIALLY HYDROGEN-CONTAINING CATION FREE, CRYSTALLINE ALUMINOSILICATE ZEOLITE EMBEDDED IN A SILICEOUS GEL MATRIX, SAID ZEOLITE HAVING BEEN BASE-EXCHANGED WITH A CATION OF A METAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF METALS IN GROUPS, II, III, IV, V, VI-B, VII-B, VIII, AND THE RARE EARTH METALS; SAID SILICEOUS GEL BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICA GEL, COGELS OF SILICA AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER METAL OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXIDES OF METALS IN GROUPS II-A, III-A, AND IV-B OF THE PERIODIC TABLE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF; WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES (1) ADMIXING SAID METAL-CONTAINING ZEOLITE WITH A SLURRY OF AN UNWASHED SILICEOUS HYDROGEL OF THE SILICEOUS MATERIAL DESIRED IN SAID MATRIX, (2) SPRAY DRYING SAID ADMIXTURE, (3) CONTACTING SAID COMPOSITE WITH AMMONIUM IONS, AND (4) CONTACTING SAID COMPOSITE WITH METAL CATIONS OF THE SAME METAL USED IN SAID BASE EXCHANGE SO AS TO ESSENTIALLY REPLACE AMMONIUM CATIONS PRESENT IN SAID ZEOLITE BY VIRTUE OF STEP (3).