Bromine and iodine for selective partial oxidation of propane and methane

D. Chester Upham, Henrik Høgh Kristoffersen, Zachary R. Snodgrass, Michael J. Gordon, Horia Metiu*, Eric W. McFarland

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene can be enhanced through the addition of a halogen to a feed of oxygen and propane. In this paper, we examine halogen-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation by a mixture of I2 and Br2. We find that adding a small amount of Br2 to a feed of I2, C3H8, and O2 produces propylene with 71% propane conversion and 83% propylene selectivity. Good performance is also obtained if a small amount of I2 is added to a feed of Br2, C3H8, and O2. In both cases, the propylene yield is greater than the sum of the yields obtained with iodine and bromine separately. A variety of studies were performed to help understand the reaction mechanism. Methane halogenation was also investigated by using combinations of iodine and bromine to produce methyl iodide, and a microkinetic model was also constructed for methane halogenation in the gas-phase to help understand the mechanism.
Original languageEnglish
JournalApplied Catalysis A: General
Volume580
Pages (from-to)102-110
ISSN0926-860X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Keywords

  • Dehydrogenation
  • Halogens
  • Propylene
  • Methyl iodide

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