Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene on Cr2O3/Al2O3-ZrO2 catalysts: the influence of oxidizing agent on ethylene selectivity

Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene was investigated on Al2O3, ZrO2 and Al2O3-ZrO2 mixed oxide supported Cr2O3 catalysts taking O-2 and CO2 as oxidants. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The catalytic activity depended on the chromium species formed on the surface. However, the selectivity to ethylene was influenced by the oxidizing agent (O-2 or CO2). Temperature-programmed desorption of ethylene was employed to confirm the role of oxidant in deciding ethylene selectivity.