Reactions of propane and n-butane on Re/ZSM catalyst

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the reactions of propane and butane which are formed in the aromatization of methane are investigated on supported Re. The evaluation of the reaction pathways of these hydrocarbons over Re/ZSM-5 helps understanding better the formation of benzene from methane on the same catalyst. To identify the surface species formed during the interaction of propane with the Re/HZSM-5 catalyst, detailed infrared (IR) spectroscopic measurements were performed. Propane adsorbed weakly and nondissociatively on Re catalysts below 300 K. At higher temperatures, the characteristic vibrations of π-bonded, di- σ -bonded propylene, and propylidyne were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy. Re exerted a more profound influence on the catalytic performance of the less effective ZSM-5; at 873 K the conversion increased from 12.0% to 47–48%. The formation of propylene dramatically increased at the expense of that of ethylene. Whereas on pure ZSM-5 benzene was detected only traces, in the presence of 2% Re it formed with 5–10% selectivity.