Bottoms upgrading and low coke fluid catalytic cracking catalyst

1. A catalyst comprising:

a lanthanum-exchanged Y zeolite having a unit cell size of about 24.10 Å to about 24.75 Å; and

a gamma-alumina matrix, wherein the gamma-alumina matrix is derived from precursor microspheres comprising gamma-alumina and mixed with sodium silicate, wherein the gamma-alumina matrix comprises about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % lanthanum and

wherein the catalyst is a microspherical fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst.

2. The catalyst of claim 1 , comprising about 1 wt % to about 80 wt % of the gamma-alumina.

3. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the gamma-alumina matrix further comprises an alkaline earth element.

4. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the gamma-alumina matrix comprises an alkaline earth element in an amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 12 wt %.

5. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst has a phase composition comprising at least about 10 wt % Y-zeolite.

6. The catalyst of claim 5 , wherein the phase composition further comprises at least about 30 wt % amorphous material.

7. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the precursor microspheres are free of aluminosilicate.

8. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the lanthanum-exchanged Y zeolite comprises about 0.1 wt % to about 5 wt % of the lanthanum.

9. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the lanthanum-exchanged Y zeolite is crystallized in situ in a porous kaolin matrix.

10. The catalyst of claim 1 , wherein the gamma-alumina matrix is doped with the lanthanum.

11. A method of making a zeolitic fluid catalytic cracking catalyst, the method comprising:

pre-forming precursor microspheres comprising a non-zeolitic material and gamma-alumina;

in situ crystallizing a zeolite on the pre-formed microspheres to provide the zeolitic microsphere material, wherein the in situ crystallizing comprises: mixing the precursor microspheres with sodium silicate, sodium hydroxide, and water to obtain an alkaline slurry and heating the alkaline slurry to a temperature, and for a time, sufficient to crystallize at least about 15 wt % NaY-zeolite in the microspheres;

calcining the zeolitic microspheric material;

further exchanging the zeolitic microspheric material with ammonium ions such that the Na 2 O content is reduced to below 0.2%; and

further calcining the zeolitic microspheric material,

wherein at least one of the calcining or the further calcining is conducted in the presence of about 25% v/v steam.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

separating the zeolitic microspheric material from at least a major portion of alkaline slurry;

exchanging sodium cations in the zeolitic microspheric material with ammonium ions or ammonium ions, and thereafter rare earth ions.

13. A microspherical catalyst, comprising:

a Y zeolite;

a gamma-alumina matrix comprising gamma-alumina and a rare earth element comprising ytterbium, gadolinium, cerium, lanthanum, or a mixture of any two or more thereof,

wherein the gamma-alumina matrix further comprises an alkaline earth element, and

wherein the alkaline earth element comprises about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % barium.