5.1 The chemical composition of catalysts and catalyst materials is an important indicator of catalyst performance and is a valuable tool for assessing parameters in a FCCU process. This practice will be useful to catalyst manufacturers and petroleum refiners for quality verification and performance evaluation, and to environmental authorities at the state and federal levels for evaluation and verification of various compliance programs (1, 2, 3).

1.1 This practice describes the analysis of fluid catalytic cracking catalysts, rare earth exchanged zeolitic materials, additive and related materials when analyzed by ICP-OES for the six most common rare earth elements.

1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this Practice.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. See Appendix X3.