Oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane over titanium pyrophosphate catalysts in the presence of carbon dioxide

The effect of carbon dioxide on the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane over two titanium pyrophosphate catalysts with low and high specific surface areas was investigated using a conventional fixed-bed down-flow reactor in the temperature range of 450–600 °C. The addition of CO2 in the feed slightly decreased n-butane conversion but strongly increased the selectivity to dehydrogenation products for both catalysts. Replacing air with carbon dioxide as unique oxidant, an important decrease of the catalytic activity was observed.