Two-Step Catalytic Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane:  An Alternative Route to Propene

The use of solid oxygen carriers (SOCs) in catalytic dehydrogenation may provide a more efficient production process for small alkenes by shifting the equilibrium to the product side. In this paper we use dynamic simulations to investigate the feasibility of two-step oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene using a SOC. The proposed process is carried out in a cyclically operated fixed-bed reactor, filled with a mixture of a dehydrogenation catalyst and a SOC. In the first step (the dehydrogenation), propane is fed to the reactor. The SOC oxidises the hydrogen produced during the dehydrogenation. In the second step, the SOC is regenerated and the accumulated coke burned off by allowing oxygen into the reactor. We determine the cyclic steady states by simulating the process for different feed temperatures and SOC concentrations, and we show that addition of a SOC to a reactor filled with dehydrogenation catalyst increases the conversion of propane and enhances the selectivity towards propene.