Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane over Vanadium Catalyst Supported on Alkali-Modifiedx-Al2O3

The propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reaction has been considered as an alternative method for propene production owing to its exothermic nature, which renders it environmentally friendly. The use of alkaline promoters for supported V catalysts can increase propene selectivity and partially inhibit the formation of CO and CO2. Our goal was to evaluate the promoting effect of K and Na and the support effect using gibbsite as precursor for the propane ODH reaction. Catalysts were prepared via co-impregnation of V and alkali metals on a previously prepared alumina support and were characterized using N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction, and isopropanol decomposition tests to evaluate their acid-base properties. The activity of the synthesized catalysts for the propane ODH reaction was evaluated at the O2:C3H8:He molar ratios of 5:2:4, 6:1:4, and 4:3:4. The addition of alkali metals to the V catalysts increased propane conversion and propene selectivity; moreover, both parameters increased with increasing molar fraction of O2 in the reactants. K doping increased the propene selectivity of the doped catalysts, because it inhibited a large fraction of catalytic surface acidic sites. A high molar fraction of O2 in the reactants facilitated the regeneration of the catalyst, whereas a high reoxidation rate improved catalytic activity and propene selectivity.

Balancing the Activity and Selectivity of Propane Oxidative Dehydrogenation on NiOOH (001) and (010)

Propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) is an energy-efficient approach to produce propylene. However, ODH suffers from low propylene selectivity due to a relatively higher activation barrier for propylene formation compared with that for further oxidation. In this work, calculations based on density functional theory were performed to map out the reaction pathways of propane ODH on the surfaces (001) and (010) of nickel oxide hydroxide (NiOOH). Results show that propane is physisorbed on both surfaces and produces propylene through a two-step radical dehydrogenation process. The relatively low activation barriers of propane dehydrogenation on the NiOOH surfaces make the NiOOH-based catalysts promising for propane ODH. By contrast, the weak interaction between the allylic radical and the surface leads to a high activation barrier for further propylene oxidation. These results suggest that the catalysts based on NiOOH can be active and selective for the ODH of propane toward propylene.

Supported two- and three-dimensional vanadium oxide species on the surface of β-SiC

Dispersing two-dimensional VOx species on β-SiC offers a new approach to scale up propane ODH.

Self-assembled hybrid precursors towards more efficient propane ODH NiMoO4 catalysts

This work shows a novel method to synthesize bulk NiMoO4 from hybrid materials made of guest ions (Ni and Mo precursors) and a polyampholytic comb-like copolymer displaying a supramolecular organization.