Role of active oxygen species in Fe-doped ZrO2 catalyst during CO2 assisted ethane dehydrogenation reaction

CO2 assisted ethane dehydrogenation provides a promising route for the utilization of shale gas and greenhouse gas. This study investigates the role and evolution of active oxygen species over Fe-doped ZrO2 catalysts in distinct dehydrogenation reactions via Mars-van Krevelen mechanism. Fe doping led to an increase in active oxygen species (from 12.9% to 23.4%) benefitted from the phase transformation of ZrO2. This enhancement significantly boosted ethane dehydrogenation activity from 5.0 to 16.1 mmolEthene/gCat/h. In the absence of CO2, the ethane conversions rapidly decreased with a deactivation rate constant (kd) of 0.930 h−1 due to the irreversible oxygen species loss and coke deposition. Although the catalytic stability of the optimal catalyst was greatly improved (kd = 0.006 h−1) after CO2 introduction, a decrease in ethane conversion occurred when CO2 could not supplement oxygen species due to the formation of coke layers. A simple O2 oxidation can effectively restore stable activity during 5 reaction-regeneration cycles for 3600 mins.