Facile synthesis of SiO2 supported GaN as an active catalyst for CO2 enhanced dehydrogenation of propane

•A facile synthesis of GaN supported on SiO2 as an active catalyst for the dehydrogenation of propane to propene with CO2 was achieved.•It is found that CO2 can not only enhance the catalytic conversion and selectivity but also influence the deposited carbon formation.•The 5-GaN/Q-3 catalyst shows a propane conversion of 31 % with a selectivity of 93 % for propene at 600 °C with the molar ratio of C3H8/CO2/N2 = 1/2/7.•The small particle size and well dispersion of GaN and efficient affinity of Q-3 support to CO2 contribute to the enhanced catalytic performances.