Kinetic Study of the Formation of Hydrogen Peroxide by the Vapor-Phase Noncatalytic Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

The applied kinetics for synthesizing hydrogen peroxide by the noncatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of propane was studied using a conventional flow apparatus. Dehydrogenation was carried out successfully at temperatures ranging from 430° to 450°C. at atmospheric pressure and with residence time 6-10 sec. Besides the main products—hydrogen peroxide and propylene—appreciable amounts of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and methanol were obtained. Pretreatment of the inner reactor wall, with HF for the quartz reactor and with H 3 PO 4 for the stainless steel reactor, was effective in increasing remarkably the selectivity of the reaction producing hydrogen peroxide and propylene. The highest selectivity of ca. 60% was obtained at ca. 18% propane conversion using HF-treated quartz reactor.