Effect of preparation conditions on selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid

Abstract The effects of chemical composition and preparation conditions, especially calcination atmosphere and water content on the catalytic performances of MoVTeNbO mixed oxide catalyst system for the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid were investigated. Among the catalysts studied, Mo 1.0 V 0.3 Te 0.23 Nb 0.12 O x catalyst calcined in inert atmosphere at 600 °C shows the best performance in terms of propane conversion and selectivity to acrylic acid. The results reveal that proper chemical composition, calcination atmosphere and water content affect greatly the catalysts in many ways including structure, chemical composition, which are related to their catalytic performances; and 51.0% propane conversion and 30.5% one-pass yield to acrylic acid can be achieved at the same time.