Dehydrogenation of propane in the presence of N2O over In2O3-Al2O3 mixed oxide catalysts

Dehydrogenation of propane coupled with N2O over a series of binary In2O3-Al2O3 mixed oxides was investigated. In contrast to the poor performance for sole N2O decomposition, a remarkable synergy was identified between N2O decomposition and propane dehydrogenation. Among the catalysts tested, the In2O3-Al2O3 sample containing a 20 mol% In2O3 showed the highest activity for propane dehydrogenation in the presence of N2O. Moreover, stability far superior to those of the conventional iron-based materials was observed, attributable to the moderate surface acidity of the In-Al-O composite. The essential role of N2O is suggested to generate active oxygen species facilitating propane dehydrogenation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.