Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane on lithium promoted oxide catalysts

Several lithium chloride catalysts supported on metal oxides such as alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, and sulfated zirconia (SZ) were prepared and tested for the selective oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane into ethylene. It is found that LiC1-promoted oxide catalysts show an excellent performance in the selective oxidation of ethane. The catalytic activity depends on the nature of the support, lithium content, and reaction temperature. LiCl/SiO 2 , LiCl/TiO 2 and LiCl/SZ catalysts exhibit high ethane conversion and ethylene yield. However, LiCl/SiO 2 and LiCl/TiO 2 show rapid deactivation while LiCl/SZ can maintain a relative long-term stability.