Boron nitride wash-coated cordierite monolithic catalyst showing high selectivity and productivity for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a burgeoning catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) with impressive light olefins selectivity, which deserves further study to optimize the heat and mass transfer process with the aim of promoting the potential industrial application since ODHP is a highly exothermic process. Herein, h-BN wash-coated cordierite monolithic catalyst was designed through a chemical vapor deposition method using boron acid and urea as precursors, which was used for ODHP reaction and exhibited a similar to 16.8% conversion of propane and 82.1% selectivity towards propylene, with only 3.7% selectivity of CO and no detected CO2, at temperature of 535 degrees C and a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 576,000 mL/g(BN)h. The typical structure of h-BN/Cordierite with well-developed straight-channel and short diffusive pathway of the thin wash-coated h-BN layer guarantee the mass transfer process at high GHSV, achieving a high propylene space time yield of 18.6 g(C3H6)g(BN)(-1) h(-1) and improving the selectivity towards propylene and ethylene by suppressing secondary reactions of deep oxidation. Meanwhile, the high GHSV and excellent thermal conductivity of h-BN contribute to the heat transfer during reactions.