Metal oxide catalysts comprising various dopants are provided. The catalysts are useful as heterogeneous catalysts in a variety of catalytic reactions, for example, the oxidative coupling of methane to C2 hydrocarbons such as ethane and ethylene. Related methods for use and manufacture of the same are also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst comprising i) a catalyst, in oxidic form, metals M1, M2, M3 and M4, wherein: M1 is selected from Si, Al, Zr, and mixtures thereof; M2 is selected from Pt, Cr, and mixtures thereof; M3 is selected from W, Mo, Re and mixtures thereof; M4 is selected from Sn, K, Y, Yb and mixtures thereof; and ii) a hydrogen scavenger selected from at least one alkali and/or alkaline earth metal derivative, preferably in metallic, hydride, salt, complex or alloy form; as well as a hydrocarbon conversion process utilizing this catalyst.

A catalyst which is highly active in dehydrogenation reaction of an alkylaromatic hydrocarbon not only in high-temperature regions (e.g. 600 to 650 C.) as found in the inlet of a catalyst bed in an apparatus for the production of SM but also in low-temperature regions (e.g. under 600 C.) as found in the outlet of a catalyst bed in an apparatus for the production of SM, where the temperature decreases as a result of endothermic reaction; and a process for producing the catalyst; and a dehydrogenation process using the catalyst.

The catalyst contains iron (Fe), potassium (K), and cerium (Ce), and at least one rare earth element other than cerium.

Methods for producing butadiene by the oxidative dehydrogenation of butene are provided. Methods for producing butadiene from a feed stream including oxygen and butene in a molar ratio of oxygen to butene (O.sub.2/C.sub.4H.sub.8) from about 0.9 to about 1.5 can include introducing the feed stream to a catalyst in the presence of steam. The molar ratio of steam to butene (H.sub.2O/C.sub.4H.sub.8) can be from about 10 to about 20. Methods can further include reacting the butene to generate a product stream therefrom comprising butadiene and water. Methods can further include separating water from the product stream to generate a butadiene stream including greater than about 85 wt-% butadiene.

An ethylene production apparatus for producing ethylene from a methane-containing gas includes a ceramic membrane having at least one of oxide ion conductivity and proton conductivity; a first catalyst layer that is disposed on a first face of the ceramic membrane and includes a catalyst for accelerating oxidative-coupling-of-methane reaction; a methane supply unit that supplies the methane-containing gas to a space located on the same side as the first face of the ceramic membrane; and a charge transfer unit that transfers an electron from the first face to a second face of the ceramic membrane or transfers a hole from the second face to the first face. The ethylene production apparatus produces ethylene in the first catalyst layer upon supply of the methane-containing gas from the methane supply unit.

A oxygen transfer agent useful for the oxidative dehydrogenation of saturated hydrocarbons includes at least one mixed oxide derived from manganese or compounds thereof, as well as a promoter, such as tungsten and/or phosphorus. The oxygen transfer agent may also include an alkali metal or compounds thereof, boron or compounds thereof, an oxide of an alkaline earth metal, and an oxide containing one or more of one or more of manganese, lithium, boron, and magnesium. A reactor is at least partially filled with the oxygen transfer agent in the form of a fixed or circulating bed and provides an unsaturated hydrocarbon product, such as ethylene and/or propylene. The oxygen transfer agent may be regenerated using oxygen.

The present invention discloses a composite catalyst for the photocatalytic isomerization of norbornadiene to prepare quadricyclane, comprising: a solid photocatalyst, selected from the group consisting of TiO.sub.2, Ti-MCM-41, Ti-SBA-15, ZnO, WO.sub.3, Ta.sub.2O.sub.5 or SrTiO.sub.3; and an organic photo-sensitizer loaded on the surface or in the channel of said solid photocatalyst, selected from benzophenone, acetophenone, Michler's Ketone, tetraethyl Michler's Ketone, and diethyl Michler's Ketone, where the organic photo-sensitizer is present in the solid photocatalyst in an amount of 0.5% to 20% by weight. The catalyst of the invention can catalyze a target reaction under the condition that no solvent is used, and the yield of the target product quadricyclane is higher. Furthermore, the catalyst of the invention has a stable activity, and it can be recycled. The invention further discloses a process for preparing the composite catalyst.

Fluidizable catalysts for the gas phase oxygen-free oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes, such as propane, to corresponding olefins, such as propylene. The catalysts comprise 5-20% by weight per total catalyst weight of one or more vanadium oxides (VO.sub.x), such as V.sub.2O.sub.5. The dehydrogenation catalysts are disposed on an alumina support that is modified with calcium oxide to influence characteristics of lattice oxygen at the catalyst surface. Various methods of preparing and characterizing the catalyst as well as methods for the gas phase oxygen free oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes, such as propane, to corresponding olefins, such as propylene, with improved alkane conversion and olefin product selectivity are also disclosed.

A process is presented for the oxidative dehydrogenation of butenes to butadienes. The process includes the use of parallel reactors, wherein the reactors are operated at different pressures. A butene feedstream is split into several portions wherein each portion is passed to a different reactor. Each reactor generates an effluent stream, and the effluent stream is cooled to generate steam for use in a lower pressure reactor.

The invention discloses a binder-free high strength and low steam-to-oil ratio ethylbenzene dehydrogenation catalyst, which is characterized by comprising the following components in percentage by weight: (a) 60-85% Fe.sub.2O.sub.3; (b) 3-25% K.sub.2O; (c) 0.1-5% MoO.sub.3; (d) 3-20% CeO.sub.2; (e) 0.1-5% CaO; (f) 0.1-5% Na.sub.2O; (g) 0.1-5% MnO.sub.2, wherein the weight ratio of sodium oxide to manganese dioxide is 0.1-10; (h) 0.1-100 ppm of at least one element or oxide of Pb, Pt, Pd, Ag, Au, Sn; and no binder is added during the preparation of the catalyst. The low steam-to-oil ratio ethylbenzene dehydrogenation catalyst provided by the present invention contains no binder and maintains high strength, and has high activity and stability at low steam-to-oil ratio.