Oxydehydrogenation of Propane over Vanadium Oxide Supported on Kieselguhr or MCM-41

BY Jibril, Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Department, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Postal Code 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Oman
A Atta, Petroleum and Chemical Engineering Department, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Postal Code 123, Al-Khoud, Muscat, Oman
SA Al-Dress, Petroleum & Petrochemicals Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh - 11442, Saudi Arabia
MC Al-Kinany, Petroleum & Petrochemicals Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh - 11442, Saudi Arabia
HA Al-Megren, Petroleum & Petrochemicals Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh - 11442, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Supported vanadium oxide (5 wt%) on either Kieselguhr or mesoporous MCM-41 was prepared using impregnation method and tested as a catalyst in propane oxidative dehydrogenation (POD). The catalyst samples were characterized using X-ray elemental analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) physisorption, and Z-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). After impregnation, the catalyst surface area decreased compared with that of the support. More drastic decrease was observed in the case of MCM-41 (77%) than the Kieselguhr supported sample (48%). There are also different degrees of vanadium oxide-support interaction as reflected by the XPS result. Si-O binding energy of 531.5 eV was observed on MCM-41-supported sample compared with 529.5 eV for the Kieselguhr-supported sample. The catalyst tests were conducted at atmospheric pressure, with a propane to oxygen ratio of 0.7 - 3.6 and a reaction temperature of 400 - 700 °C. Oxidative dehydrogenation and combustion products were observed. Minor cracking reaction products (methane, ethane, and ethene) were also produced above 550 °C. The highest propene yield of 14% was obtained from the Kieselguhr-supported sample at 700 °C and with a C3 H8 /O2 ratio of 1.5.

Recommended Citation

Jibril, BY; Atta, A; Al-Dress, SA; Al-Kinany, MC; and Al-Megren, HA (2012) "Oxydehydrogenation of Propane over Vanadium Oxide Supported on Kieselguhr or MCM-41," The Journal of Engineering Research: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24200/tjer.vol9iss1pp46-54