New approach for enhancement of light olefin production through oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over doped Mo/TiO2 nanotubes

Using promoters in different types of catalysts can positively affect the yield of oxidative dehydrogenation process and the selectivity of propylene as the main product Titania nanotubes containing distinct promoters including silver, nitrogen and cerium have been synthesized with high specific area by the hydrothermal technique and used as a support in oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. The incipient wetness impregnation method was applied for catalysts preparation Mo/Ce-TNT, Mo/Ag-TNT and Mo/N-TNT were characterized by various techniques such as XRD, TEM, SEM, EDS, BET, H2-TPR. The presence of these promoters lead to enhancement of propylene yield among which the Mo/Ce-TNT catalyst was of great efficiency. From the results, it is considered to be quite evident that the oxygen capacity of the catalyst containing Ce can contribute to the oxidation state and redox reactions. In comparison to Mo/TNT, the yield to propylene in the Mo/Ce-TNT sample increased from 9.3% to 14.8% and propylene selectivity substantially surged from 39% to 66.3%.