Oxidative Dehydrogenation of n-Butene to 1,3-Butadiene Over ZnMeIIIFeO4 Catalysts: Effect of Trivalent Metal (MeIII)

ZnMeIIIFeO4 catalysts with different trivalent metal (MeIII = Fe, Al, Cr, Mn, and Co) were prepared by a co-precipitation method, and were applied to the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butene to 1,3-butadiene. Successful formation of ZnMeIIIFeO4 catalysts was confirmed by XRD and ICP-AES analyses. Catalytic performance of ZnMeIIIFeO4 catalysts in the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butene strongly depended on the identity of trivalent metal (MeIII). Acid properties of ZnMeIIIFeO4 catalysts were measured by NH3-TPD experiments, with an aim of correlating the catalytic performance with the surface acid property of the catalysts. It was revealed that yield for 1,3-butadiene increased with increasing surface weak-acid density of ZnMeIIIFeO4 catalyst. Among the catalysts tested, ZnFeFeO4 catalyst with the largest surface weak-acid density showed the best catalytic performance in the oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butene.