Catalyst having an improved crush strength and methods of making and using same

Abstract

A method of preparing a catalyst comprising selecting a zeolite having a mean particle size of equal to or less than about 6 microns, blending the zeolite with a binder and water to form a paste, shaping the paste into a bound zeolite support, adding a metal to the bound zeolite support to form a metalized catalyst support, and adding at least one halide to the metalized catalyst support to form the catalyst. A catalytic reforming process for converting hydrocarbons to aromatics comprising: contacting a catalyst comprising a silica bound zeolite, a Group VIII metal supported thereby, and at least one halide with a hydrocarbon feed in a reaction zone under reforming conditions and recovering aromatics from the reaction zone, wherein the silica bound zeolite comprises a zeolite having a mean particle size of equal to or less than about 6 microns and a median particle size of equal to or less than about 5 microns.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.