Selective oxidation of light alkanes over hydrothermally synthesized Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, Ga, Bi, Sb, and Te) oxide catalysts Original Research Article

Selective oxidations of ethane to ethene and acetic acid and of propane to acrylic acid were carried out over hydrothermally synthesized Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, Ga, Bi, Sb, and Te) complex metal oxide catalysts. All the synthesized solids were rod-shaped crystallites and gave a common XRD peak corresponding to 4.0 Å d-spacing. From the different XRD patterns at low angle region below 10° and from the different shape of the cross-section of the rod crystal obtained by SEM, the solids were classified into two groups: Mo-V-M-O (M=Al, possibly Ga and Bi) and Mo-V-M-O (M=Sb, and Te). The former catalyst was moderately active for the ethane oxidation to ethene and to acetic acid. On the other hand the latter was found to be extremely active for the oxidative dehydrogenation. The Mo-V-M-O (M=Sb, and Te) catalysts were also active for the propane oxidation to acrylic acid. It was found that the grinding of the catalysts after heat-treatment at 600°C in N2 increased the conversions of propane and enhanced the selectivity to acrylic acid. Structural arrangement of the catalytic functional components on the surface of the cross-section of the rod-shaped catalysts seems to be important for the oxidation activity and selectivity.