Oxidative Dehydrogenation Of Ethane To Ethylene Over Metal Oxide Catalysts Using Carbon Dioxide

Ethylene is the most significant product that is being used in different sectors. The demand for ethylene is increasing year by year as it is the preferred raw material in the production of various industrially important products such as HDPE, LDPE, PVC, ethylene glycol, styrene, and ethylene dichloride. Carbon dioxide is a promising oxidant for the dehydrogenation of ethane. The global consumption of ethylene has increased to approx. 160 million ton per year with an annual growth rate of 4%. A significant amount of ethylene is produced by pyrolysis of various hydrocarbon stocks using steam, which is a highly energy-intensive process. Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane using carbon dioxide is considered as one of the alternative methods for obtaining ethylene with higher yield. This chapter explores the effectiveness of metal oxide catalysts, with a particular interest in achieving higher selectivity to ethylene and better conversion of ethane and carbon dioxide. Various methods of preparation and physicochemical characterization techniques of catalysts were analyzed in detail. Performances of metal oxides and metal oxide-supported Cr2O3 catalysts were evaluated in a fixed-bed quartz reactor at 550-675 degrees C. Cr2O3 on metal oxide catalysts is suitable for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane in the presence of CO2. CO2 which acts as a diluent for enhancing the equilibrium conversion of light alkanes and as an agent for the removal of coke formed on the catalyst thus acquires enormous importance.