Low Temperature Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane by Ce-Modified NiNb Catalysts

Low temperature oxidative dehydrogenation catalysts are becoming a viable material for drastically altering the production of small chain alkenes. Among materials used, bimetallic and trimetallic nickel catalysts have shown great promise. In this study, we report a 38% increase in the rate of ethylene production with the addition of Ce to NiNb catalysts. Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane was performed in the temperature range of 250–350 °C. At 300 °C, the rate of ethylene production was maximized with a rate of 6.91 × 10–4 mmol gcat–1 s–1. At higher temperatures, the rate of deep oxidation to CO2 outcompeted the rate of ethylene formation. The improved rate due to the addition of Ce is attributed to ceria's ability to rapidly transport oxygen to the NiO active sites.