Supported Ga-oxide Catalyst for Dehydrogenation of Ethane

Abstract

We studied dehydrogenation catalysts to improve the performance of the ethane cracking tube. Ga, Ge, In, and Sn were studied as dehydrogenation catalysts. Catalytic activity tests showed that the Ga catalyst has the best performance among them. Although the Ga catalyst supported on α-Al₂O₃ calcined at 1323 K deactivated with time on stream, the Ga catalyst supported on γ-Al₂O₃ calcined at 1323 K showed high ethylene yield and stability. Analyses of BET, XRD, EDX, and XANES were conducted to elucidate the differences of their performances. Ga catalyst supported on γ-Al₂O₃ calcined at 1323 K showed high catalytic activity and stability because Ga was supported as a highly dispersed β-Ga₂O₃-like structure thanks to high specific surface area of the γ-Al₂O₃ support.