Propane dehydrogenation over alumina supported chromia catalysts

Abstract

Different alumina-supported chromia catalysts were prepared by varying the chromium oxide loading from 3.6 to 17 μmol Cr/m2. Previous characterization studies on the catalysts revealed that the monolayer limit was ~9 μmol Cr/m2. The different catalysts were tested and found to be active for the dehydrogenation (DH) of propane. Propene was formed on all the chromia supported catalyst samples. The rate of propane converted increased with chromium oxide content till monolayer limit and then decreased. Interestingly, this behaviour paralleled the rate of propane converted during the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane suggesting that the active sites for the DH and ODH reactions originate from the same surface chromium oxide species.