Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane (ODHP) to Propene Using CO2 as a Soft Oxidant Over In-TUD-1 Catalyst.

Propene is one of the major platform petrochemicals, traditionally produced on an industrial scale via steam cracking of propane. As an alternative route, the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) offers a more energy-efficient pathway to obtain propene. In the current context of CO2 mitigation, carbon dioxide can serve as a soft oxidant in the ODH of propane, reducing coke formation and enabling CO2 utilization. Indium-based catalysts have shown promise in this regard, as indium can effectively activate CO2 and promote reactions such as ODH. A series of indium oxide (In2O3) supported on TUD-1 mesoporous silica were prepared using a sol-gel method. The as-prepared catalysts were thoroughly characterized by several characterization techniques like XRD, SAXS, Raman, UV-vis spectroscopy, and TEM analysis. XRD result revealed the crystalline In2O3 with exposed (222) planes whereas Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis suggested incorporation of In2O3 inside the pores of the TUD-1. The addition of indium decreased the pore diameter of TUD-1 material. Under optimized reaction condition (500°C; C3H8: CO2: N2 = 1: 4: 5; GHSV = 6000 mL g-1 h-1) 10In-TUD-1 catalyst achieved 16% propane conversion with 70% propene selectivity.