Covalent oxygen BOx-M catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Background

Compared to propane dehydrogenation (PDH) technology, propane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODHP) technology represents an effective approach to overcoming thermodynamic limitations. Supported boron oxide catalysts demonstrate promising potential by co-producing high-value ethylene while enhancing olefin selectivity. However, the critical challenge impeding the development of boron-based catalysts lies in the evaporation-induced loss of active components (boron oxide) under calcination process.

Methods

BO_x−M (M = SnO₂, SiO₂, MgO, CaO, MgSO₄, CaSO₄) catalysts with 10 wt% boron trioxide loading were prepared by simple co-impregnation method using different supports.

Significant findings

Compared with other catalysts, the BO_x-SnO₂, BO_x-CaSO₄, and BO_x−MgSO₄ systems featuring covalent oxygen-containing supports demonstrated superior catalytic performance, achieving propane conversions of 50.1 %, 49.4 %, and 48.9 %, respectively. Analysis revealed that the covalently bonded oxygen in the support forms covalent bridges with the active BO₃ species, thereby enhancing the stable interactions between the support and active components. This effectively mitigates the loss of active species during calcination and improves the catalytic activity. These findings provide a feasible pathway for developing high-performance catalytic systems for ODHP.