Molecular-level investigation on Mo-V mixed oxides for propane oxidative dehydrogenation using multiple operando spectroscopies

• Grant number: 23/04673-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Leandro Pierroni Martins
• Grantee: Letícia Fernanda Rasteiro
• Supervisor: Carsten Sievers
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/09394-8 - Texture modification of Mo-V mixed oxides as catalysts for oxidation reactions: application in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene., BP.PD

Abstract

The production of propylene, an essential organic chemical used in the manufacturing of various industrial products, is currently facing a demand-supply gap due to the switch from naphtha cracking to shale gas cracking. To overcome this issue, oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) has emerged as a promising alternative to the dehydrogenation of propane (DHP), which is the commonly used process for propylene production. ODHP has several advantages over DHP, including the prevention of coke formation and lower operoperanating temperatures. However, ODHP suffers from overoxidation, which can be addressed by replacing O2 with soft oxidants like CO2 and N2O. Mo-V mixed oxide catalysts have been shown to be good candidates for ODHP, as they present lattice oxygen with nucleophilic character, which increases propylene selectivity. Besides Mo-V mixed oxides catalysts have shown promising results in several oxidative reactions there are only two studies that investigate the use of Mo-V mixed oxide catalysts for ODHP and no studies using CO2 as the oxidant agent. Operando spectroscopies techniques, such as Infrared, Raman, and UV-vis, are crucial for catalyst characterization. They provide real-time information on the chemical and physical changes during the catalytic process. The use of a combination of operando Raman, infrared, and UV-vis have never been applied to the study of Mo-V mixed oxides in the ODHP reaction, much less with the use of soft oxidants. Combining these operando techniques would be very enlightening to understand the structural and electronic changes and the roles of the oxidizing agents during propane ODH over Mo-V mixed oxides catalysts. (AU)