Propylene Synthesis: Recent Advances in the Use of Pt-Based Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation Reaction

Abstract

Propylene is one of the most important feedstocks in the chemical industry, as it is used in the production of widely diffused materials such as polypropylene. Conventionally, propylene is obtained by cracking petroleum-derived naphtha and is a by-product of ethylene production. To ensure adequate propylene production, an alternative is needed, and propane dehydrogenation is considered the most interesting process. In literature, the catalysts that have shown the best performance in the dehydrogenation reaction are Cr-based and Pt-based. Chromium has the non-negligible disadvantage of toxicity; on the other hand, platinum shows several advantages, such as a higher reaction rate and stability. This review article summarizes the latest published results on the use of platinum-based catalysts for the propane dehydrogenation reaction. The manuscript is based on relevant articles from the past three years and mainly focuses on how both promoters and supports may affect the catalytic activity. The published results clearly show the crucial importance of the choice of the support, as not only the use of promoters but also the use of supports with tuned acid/base properties and particular shape can suppress the formation of coke and prevent the deep dehydrogenation of propylene.

Catalysis of Alloys: Classification, Principles, and Design for a Variety of Materials and Reactions

“…Light olefins, including ethylene, propylene, and butene, are important raw materials in industry for the production of a wide variety of chemicals. − However, the supply of light olefins from conventional processes cannot meet the growing global demand due to the advent of shale gas resources. Consequently, alternative processes, including on-purpose alkane dehydrogenation, methanol-to-olefins, and Fischer–Tropsch-to-olefins, have been intensively studied to meet this demand. − Among these alternative processes, alkane dehydrogenation has been regarded as the most promising because of its high light olefin selectivity and the abundance of alkanes in shale gas.…”

“…Because of its high ability in C–H scission and relatively low ability in C–C cleavage, Pt is the most effective element in the dehydrogenation of alkanes. − However, the high endothermicity of alkane dehydrogenation requires high operating temperatures to attain high olefin yields. Because of the high reaction temperatures, even the Pt-based catalysts often suffer from catalyst degradation due to coke accumulation and/or nanoparticle sintering.…”

“…Therefore, researchers have attempted to modify the characteristics of Pt through the addition of inert or less active metals and tailoring the support properties. Today, the geometric feature of Pt has been regarded as the most important factor in rendering a large Δ E value in the dehydrogenation of propane. − Propylene can adsorb on Pt sites with two configuration modes: (1) stronger di-σ and (2) weaker π modes. The presence of large Pt ensembles ( e.g.…”

Mechanism research reveals the role of Fen (n = 2–5) supported C2N as single-cluster catalysts (SCCs) for the non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation in the optimization of catalytic performance

“…Structurally, there is a strong synergistic effect between the two Fe metal atoms in the Fe 2 -C 2 N catalytic system, which will lead to a redistribution of the electron density, which is beneficial to the activation of C-H bonds and the adsorption of propane on the catalyst, but inhibit the interaction between p bond and metal atoms in propylene. 47,48 Rong et al proposed that when a loaded atomic cluster contains more than two metal atoms, the synergistic effect of improving the catalytic performance between metals at different locations is unique. 49 This may be because the size and shape of atomic clusters become more complex when the number of metal atoms increases, which will lead to fewer adsorption sites or weaker adsorption site interactions.…”

Advances in zeolite-supported metal catalysts for propane dehydrogenation

“…Pt is the most widely used noble metal for propane dehydrogenation because of its higher C-H bond activation over C-C bond scission. 44,104 Generally, the active sites for the PDH process are at the terraces of the coordinatively saturated Pt sites and at the steps, corners, and edges of the unsaturated Pt sites. 14,105 Therefore, the catalytic activity of Pt species, especially the conversion of propane can be significantly enhanced with a decrease in the particle size of Pt species.…”