Combinatorial and conventional development of novel dehydrogenation catalysts

• Published in: Applied catalysis. A, General Vol. 252; no. 1; pp. 91 - 106
• Main Authors: Urschey, Jörg, Kühnle, Adolf, Maier, Wilhelm F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 08.10.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Butane; Catalysis; Catalytic reactions; Chemistry; Combinatorial chemistry; Data visualisation; Exact sciences and technology; Factorial design; General and physical chemistry; Oxidative dehydrogenation; Porous mixed oxides; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Butane; Porous mixed oxides; Data visualisation; Oxidative dehydrogenation; Combinatorial chemistry; Catalysis; Factorial design; Catalytic reaction; Hydrocarbon; Transition metal Compounds; Modified catalyst; Combinatorial chemistry: Factorial design; Optimization; Titanium Oxides; Heterogeneous catalysis; Aluminium Oxides; Ethylbenzene; Zirconium oxide; Dehydrogenation; Alkane; Mixed Oxides; Silicon Oxides; Oxidation
• ISSN: 0926-860X; 1873-3875
• DOI: 10.1016/S0926-860X(03)00382-X

A combinatorial search for novel catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of n-butane is presented. Nine hundred and fifty mixed oxides based on SiO 2, TiO 2, ZrO 2 and Al 2O 3 have been prepared on a milligram scale using a pipetting robot. These materials have been screened for catalytic activity for the ODH reaction of ethylbenzene and n-butane by means of emissivity-corrected IR thermography. Selected active materials have been synthesised on a gram scale and tested in a conventional fixed bed reactor. A parameter optimisation study using a factorial design and data visualisation software revealed several regions of operability, where high selectivities and good yields were obtained. The best new catalyst found, Hf 3Y 3Ti 94O x , reaches a butene selectivity of 75% at 15% conversion at 450 °C and ambient pressure, which compares well with state-of-the-art catalysts for this reaction.