Mesocarbon Microbead Production from Fluid Catalytic Cracking Slurry Oil: Improving Performance through Supercritical Fluid Extraction

The utilization of fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry oil is a wide concern in modern refineries because of its poor processability. The present study used FCC slurry oil (SLO) as feedstock to produce mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) according to its rich aromatic content. A supercritical fluid extraction technique was adopted to remove the undesirable components and thus improve the mesophase development performance. Three different alkanes were used as the supercritical fluids, and the chemical composition of the derived fractions (SFEO) was analyzed. Four stages of mesophase development were observed in the carbonization process. The results showed that heavier feedstock reacted faster and reached the coalescence stage earlier, forming a bulk mesophase. MCMBs with a smooth surface and good morphology were prepared from iso-butane-derived SFEO at a reaction time of 3 h. The quality of the bulk mesophase produced from SFEOs was significantly improved in comparison to DQ SLO.