Development of fluidizable VOx/Ce-Al2O3 Catalysts for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Butane to Butene

The goal of the proposed study is to develop fluidizable catalyst(s) for a new fluidized bed oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of butene from butane. This circulating fluidized bed technology will allow the dehydrogenation of butane in the presence of a solid oxide catalyst, which will also acts as a source of oxygen for the ODH reaction by simultaneous reduction of the catalyst. Consequently, the complete oxidation of hydrocarbon (to form COx) will be minimized and a higher selectivity of butene can be achieved in absence of gas phase oxygen. It is envisioned that this process will also offer a better control of the heat of reaction, given the overall exothermic reaction is divided into two less exothermal steps. To achieve the above mentioned goal, the present study considers developing an alumina supported fluidizable VOx-Ce based catalyst that is capable of sustaining wide variation in the average metal oxidation without undergoing structural collapse during the repeated reduction (ODH of butane cycle) and oxidation (catalyst regeneration) process. In the proposed catalyst formulation, -Al2O3 support and the VOx will be modified with Ce or La. This catalyst formulation provides both fluidizability and reduces activity decay due to agglomeration. The laboratory scale fluidized bed reactor and catalyst characterization equipment to be used will allow quantitative assessments of feed conversion, product selectivity, catalyst activity and stability. Furthermore, in order to perform these experiments under realistic scenarios that simulate industrial units, catalysts for ODH of butane will be studied under relevant process conditions. The ultimate goal of these new catalysts will be to maximize butene production, with minimum waste (COx) formation and for long term catalyst stability. It is expected that innovation and implementation of fluizided bed ODH of butane technology will allow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to lead developments on more efficient petrochemical technologies for olefin production creating in the process valuable R&D jobs for graduates from the local and international universities. The results of the research are expected to publish in internationally refereed journals and conferences. The intellectual properties of the project will be protected through KFUPM. PI and the research team will be working on the filing of invention disclosures, intellectual property protection and development of commercialization plans with the assistance of KFUPM.