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Contents
•What is cracking?
•Difference between thermal & catalytic
•Role in sustainability
•Emission reduction
•Efficient fossil fuel usage
•Conclude

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Introduction
Thermal cracking
• A process that breaks down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller
ones using high temperatures (450–750°C) and pressures, without
catalysts.
• Produces light olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, which are vital
for the petrochemical industry.
• Lower selectivity in product formation.
• Higher coke formation, which can complicate processing.
• Thermal cracking of whole crude oils at 650°C yielded light olefins
between 18.8% and 22.8%.
• Yield variations depend on the type of crude oil used.

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Introduction
Catalytic cracking
• Utilizes catalysts, like zeolites, to break hydrocarbon chains.
• Microporous, aluminosilicate minerals with high surface area and
acidity.
• Operates at lower temperatures (450–550°C) and pressures,
enhancing efficiency.
• Increases yield of high-octane gasoline and valuable olefins.
• At 650°C, yields of light olefins improved to 39.1% - 42.9%.
• Demonstrates the effectiveness of catalytic processes in
sustainable fuel production.
• Lowers energy requirements of the catalytic process due to
inherent catalytic properties.

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 VIDEO
FOR THERMAL & CATALYTIC CRACKING
(Duration: 1 min)

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Environmental Benefits of Thermal and
Catalytic Cracking
1. Maximizing Resource Utilization
Both processes allow refineries to extract more useful products from crude oil:
They convert heavier, less useful fractions into lighter, high-demand fuels like
gasoline, diesel, and olefins.
✅ This reduces the need to extract more crude oil, conserving natural resources
and lowering environmental damage from exploration.

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Environmental Benefits of Thermal and Catalytic
Cracking
2. Reduction in Waste and Residues
•Cracking transforms heavy residues that would otherwise be burned or discarded into valuable fuels.
•This leads to lower production of heavy fuel oils, which are often more polluting when burned.
3. Production of Cleaner Fuels
• Catalytic cracking, especially, is tailored to produce high-octane, low-sulfur gasoline.
•This results in cleaner combustion in engines, lowering:
• CO₂ emissions
• Sulfur oxides (SOₓ)
• Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ)
• Particulate matter
➡️These emissions are major contributors toDepartment
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Environmental Benefits of
Thermal and Catalytic Cracking
4. Supports Waste-to-Fuel Initiatives
•Advanced catalytic cracking processes are now used to
process:
• Used motor oil
• Plastic waste
• Bio-oils
This supports circular economy goals and reduces landfill
burdens and ocean pollution.

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Environmental Benefits of Thermal
and Catalytic Cracking
5. Energy Efficiency (Catalytic Cracking)
•Catalytic cracking requires lower energy input compared to thermal cracking due
to the presence of catalysts.
•Reduced energy use = lower CO₂ emissions from the refinery itself.

6. Potential Integration with Renewable Sources

•Some modern catalytic cracking units can co-process bio-oils or
vegetable oils with petroleum feedstock.
•This leads to partially renewable fuels, further cutting down the carbon
footprint.

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📚 Supporting Research
1.Sustainable Fuel Yields: A study from King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals found that catalytic cracking enhanced olefin yields
significantly, improving the sustainability of fuel production.
2.Waste Oil Recycling: A paper in ACS Energy & Fuels
(https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.6b01868)demonstrate
d how catalytic cracking can efficiently convert waste motor oils into
diesel-like fuels, reducing hazardous waste.
3.Cleaner Gasoline: Zeolite-based cracking technologies have been
shown to produce gasoline with reduced sulfur content and higher
combustion efficiency.

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🔧 1. Optimizing Fuel Production
1. Maximizing Valuable Fuels
•Both thermal and catalytic cracking convert heavy, low-value
fractions of crude oil (like vacuum gas oils and residuals) into lighter,
high-demand products:
• Gasoline
• Diesel
• Jet fuel
• Light olefins (ethylene, propylene — key petrochemical
building blocks)
✅ This boosts the total yield of marketable fuels from each barrel of
crude oil, reducing waste.

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🔧 1. Optimizing Fuel Production
b. Selective Production (Catalytic Cracking)
•Catalytic cracking uses zeolite catalysts that guide the
breakdown of hydrocarbons toward:
• High-octane gasoline
• Aromatics and branched alkanes, which burn more
efficiently
•This selectivity leads to better quality fuel with fewer
undesirable byproducts.

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 2. Reducing Harmful Emissions
1. Cleaner Combustion Products
•Cracked fuels (especially from catalytic processes) have:
• Higher hydrogen-to-carbon ratios
• Lower sulfur content
• Fewer large aromatic rings
✅ These characteristics lead to:
•Lower CO₂ per unit of energy produced
•Reduced emissions of sulfur oxides (SOₓ)
•Less particulate matter and smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOₓ)
b. Enabling Cleaner Fuel Standards
•Catalytic cracking can be tuned to meet ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and Euro VI gasoline standards.
•Helps refineries meet climate and air quality regulations (e.g., EPA, EU Green Deal).
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⛽ 3. Efficient Use of Fossil Resources
a. Higher Conversion Rates
•Cracking allows deeper conversion of crude oil, especially for
residues that otherwise would be burned or discarded.
•Reduces the need for new oil extraction, preserving finite fossil
reserves.
b. Waste-to-Fuel Technologies
•Modern catalytic cracking can reuse waste oils, used motor oils, or
even plastic-derived oils.
•Transforms these waste streams into usable diesel-range or
gasoline-range products.
♻️ This supports a circular economy, reduces landfill use, and
lessens dependence on raw fossil inputs.
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🌱 4. Minimizing Environmental Impact
a. Energy Efficiency
•Catalytic cracking operates at lower temperatures and pressures than thermal cracking.
•This means:
• Lower refinery energy consumption
• Reduced CO₂ emissions during processing
b. Catalyst Optimization
•Zeolite catalysts are designed for maximum activity and recyclability.
•Some newer catalysts also allow co-processing of bio-oils, blending renewable sources into petroleum refining.
c. Lower Carbon Footprint per Barrel
•Overall, more useful fuel with fewer emissions and less waste per barrel of crude = lower life-cycle emissions.

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 ✅ Summary Table
Fuel Yield Converts heavy fractions to gasoline/diesel/olefins

Emission Reduction Produces cleaner-burning, low-sulfur fuels

Resource Efficiency Maximizes use of crude; enables waste oil recycling

Environmental Impact Reduces refinery emissions and supports circular

economy

Benefit Area Thermal & Catalytic Cracking Contribution

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Conclusion:
Cracking processes not only optimize fuel production but also play a
key role in reducing the environmental impact of fossil fuel use, aligning
with global goals for cleaner and more sustainable energy systems.
These processes enhance sustainability by:
•Reducing waste through efficient resource utilization
•Lowering harmful emissions (CO₂, SO₂, NOₓ)
•Supporting cleaner combustion via improved fuel quality

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References
•Davis, B. H., & Occelli, M. (1996). Catalytic cracking: Science and technology. Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8690-4
•Fernández, E., Arandes, J. M., & Bilbao, J. (2012). Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC): Recent
developments on the traditional process. Catalysis Today, 179(1), 2–15.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2011.08.004
•Rana, M. S., Sámano, V., Ancheyta, J., & Diaz, J. A. I. (2007).
A review of recent advances on process technologies for upgrading of heavy oils and residua.
Fuel, 86(9), 1216–1231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2006.08.004
➤ Overview of technologies including cracking processes and their environmental impact.

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