CO2-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene over the ZnO-ZrO2 catalyst

The ZnO-ZrO2 catalyst was prepared by the deposition-precipitation method using ZrO2 as the carrier obtained from calcining commercial zirconium hydroxide (Zr(OH)4). And the catalytic performance was evaluated at 873 K in CO2-assisted ethane oxidative dehydrogenation reaction (CO2-ODHE). The physical-chemical properties and morphology were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectra, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), CO2 temperature-programmed desorption (CO2-TPD). The results show that ZnO were doped into the surface lattice of ZrO2 on the 5%ZnO-ZrO2 catalyst, generating highly dispersed ZnO species and oxygen-deficient regions on catalyst surface. 5%ZnO-ZrO2 catalyst could selectively breaking C–H bond instead of C–C bond, delivering excellent catalytic performance. 210 μmol/(gcat·min) of C2H4 formation rate could compare favorably with the data reported on noble metal and transition metal carbides. Additionally, the possible mechanism is discussed.