Patent ID: 8415519

Claim:
A process for converting an oxygenate-containing feed into an olefin-containing product, the process comprising: (a) contacting a metal oxide comprising yttria with nitromethane under conditions sufficient for the nitromethane to adsorb onto the metal oxide, wherein, prior to contact with the nitromethane, the metal oxide is calcined at a temperature within the range from 250° C. to 750° C., wherein the yttria has a cubic crystal structure, and wherein the metal oxide also has a basic site density of at least 0.085 mmol/g, and a BET surface area of at least 40 m 2 /g; (b) analyzing the nitromethane-adsorbed metal oxide using NMR to determine a basic site density of the metal oxide; (c) providing a catalyst system comprising a primary catalyst selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicates, aluminophosphates, silicoaluminophosphates, metal-containing derivatives thereof, and combinations thereof, and at least 30 wt % of yttria as a co-catalyst, and wherein at a given temperature of calcining the metal oxide, the catalyst lifetime increases with the loading index (“LI”); (d) contacting the oxygenate-containing feedstock with the catalyst system under conditions sufficient to form an olefin-containing product; and (e) separating the olefin-containing product into at least ethylene and/or propylene.