Dehydrogenation of C3 and C4 hydrocarbons over an iron-based catalyst

摘要

Compositions of matter, including: a composition consisting of iron oxide and magnesium oxide; a composition comprising iron oxide, manganese oxide and magnesium oxide; a composition comprising a small amount of iron oxide and a larger amount of an oxide of a Lanthanum Series metal, particularly lanthanum and cerium; and a composition comprising iron oxide and niobium oxide. The above compositions are particularly useful as catalytic compositions for the conversion of C3 and C4 hydrocarbons to less saturated hydrocarbons, particularly ethylene and propylene and preferably ethylene, in the presence of steam. The steam substantially increases the active life of the catalytic composition, before regeneration is necessary, as well as significantly increasing the selectivity to ethylene. Limiting the amount of bound or fixed sulfur in the catalytic compositions also improves the catalysts.