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The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane over molybdenum-vanadium-niobium oxide catalysts: the role of catalyst composition

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Abstract

The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane has been studied at atmospheric pressure using molybdenum-vanadium-niobium oxide catalysts in the temperature range of 350–450 °C. The presence of all three oxides together is necessary in order to have active and selective catalysts. The best results have been obtained using a mixture having a Mo ∶ V ∶ Nb ratio of 19 ∶ 5 ∶ 1. Our studies of the variation of oxide composition suggest that the active phase is based on molybdenum and vanadium. Niobium enhances the intrinsic activity of the molybdenum-vanadium combination and improves the selectivity by inhibiting the total oxidation of ethane to carbon dioxide. The apparent activation energies for the conversion of ethane to ethylene, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide were 18, 27 and 17 kcal/mol, respectively. The addition of water vapor to the gas stream does not affect the product distribution on this catalyst.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Department of Chemistry, University of California, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA

    O. Desponds, R. L. Keiski & G. A. Somorjai

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  1. O. Desponds
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  2. R. L. Keiski
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  3. G. A. Somorjai
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Desponds, O., Keiski, R.L. & Somorjai, G.A. The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane over molybdenum-vanadium-niobium oxide catalysts: the role of catalyst composition. Catal Lett 19, 17–32 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00765198

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00765198

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