Fe Assisted Pt in Dealuminated BEA Bimetallic Catalyst for Near 100% Selectivity of Ethane Dehydrogenation to Ethylene

Abstract Ethylene is a pivotal building block for polymers and chemicals, yet its conventional production via steam cracking is energy‐intensive and relies on petroleum feedstocks. Catalytic ethane dehydrogenation offers a promising, lower‐carbon emission route but is hindered by rapid sintering of Pt catalyst and coke formation under harsh conditions. In this work, nitric‐acid dealuminated BEA zeolite was employed to anchor highly dispersed Pt–Fe catalytic sites for direct ethane dehydrogenation (EDH). Systematic variation of Fe loading revealed a volcano‐type dependence of catalytic performance on Fe content; 0.2 wt% Pt/1.0 wt% Fe‐BEA delivered the highest C 2 H 4 formation rate (18.0 mol g Pt −1 h −1 ), near 100% selectivity, and a low deactivation constant (K d , 0.040 h −1 ). Comprehensive characterizations demonstrated that isolated Fe 3+ cations maximize Pt dispersion and generate electron‐deficient Pt δ+ sites via Pt–Fe alloy formation. In contrast, excess Fe loading forms FeO x aggregates that block micropores and accelerate coking. Dealuminated BEA suppresses metal migration and affords thermal stability under 600 °C operation. Regeneration tests confirmed stable performance over multiple cycles after removal of unstable Pt. The study underscores the critical synergy between single‐site Fe 3+ and Pt for efficient, selective and durable EDH.