Dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene over LaVOx/SBA-15 catalysts in the presence of carbon dioxide

Abstract The catalytic performance of a series of LaVO x /SBA-15 catalysts with different vanadium loadings was investigated for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene using CO 2 as oxidant. The addition of La 3+ has an effect of hindering carbon deposition and enhancing the stability of the catalysts. The 10%La 2 O 3 –15%V 2 O 5 /SBA-15 (wt%) catalyst exhibited the best activity and stability, giving a styrene yield of 74%. According to the results of characterization, the good performance of the catalyst could be related to the mono-dispersion of the VO 4 3− species and the synergistic action of lanthanum and vanadium.