Abstract: A method of making a boronated zeolite catalyst includes preparing an initial slurry comprising water, a shape selective zeolite, boric acid, and a weak acid selected from the group consisting of oxalic acid, citric acid, and oxalic acid and citric acid, hydrothermally treating the initial slurry at a temperature of from 70° C. to 90° C. to produce a hydrothermally treated slurry comprising dealuminated zeolite particles, adjusting the pH of the hydrothermally treated slurry to an intermediate pH of from 8 to 9 to produce a basic slurry, after adjusting the pH to the intermediate pH, hydrothermally treating the basic slurry at a temperature of from 70° C. to 90° C. to produce a boronated zeolite slurry, removing liquids from the boronated zeolite slurry to produce a boronated zeolite filtrate, and drying and calcining the boronated zeolite filtrate to produce the boronated zeolite catalyst.

Abstract: A process for cracking olefins to produce propylene, ethylene, or both, includes providing a feed stream that includes mixed butenes and contacting the feed stream with a cracking catalyst at reaction conditions that cause at least a portion of the mixed butenes in the feed stream to react to form propylene, ethylene, or both. The cracking catalyst includes zeolite particles formed from shape selective zeolite particles and an alumina binder. The cracking catalyst further includes at least one transition metal oxide impregnated onto the zeolite particles, where the at least one transition metal oxide can be iron oxide, nickel oxide, or a combinations of these. The cracking catalyst with the iron oxide, nickel oxide, or both increases conversion of mixed butenes to propylene, ethylene, or both alone or in combination with a metathesis upstream of the cracking catalyst, as compared to conventional cracking catalysts.