Highly Active and Stable Co3O4 Catalyst for the Low-temperature Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Abstract Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) is an intriguingly alternative approach for presently industrial propene manufacture. However, the high temperature (>500 °C) would aggravate the deep oxidation of propene and catalyst deactivation. Co3O4 catalyst prepared by using ZIF-8 support possesses tunable morphology, crystallite size and surface area, affording low-temperature (175 °C) propane conversion catalyst. Loose flake-like morphology with the smaller crystallite sizes and the larger surface area could significantly lower reaction temperature. At given propene yield, more propane conversion (21.1%) indicated that propene combustion occurred, and lower reaction temperatures contribute to boosting propene yield. The higher catalytic activity could be ascribed to easier reducibility of Co3+, the higher concentration of surface Co3+ and more surface content of lattice Co-O bond. Moreover, the Co3O4-500 catalyst displays excellent thermostability after a 20 h time on stream at 250 °C.