Web Release Date: February 27,
Oxidative Conversion of Propane in a Microreactor in the Presence of Plasma over MgO-Based Catalysts: An Experimental Study
iral,
and
Catalytic Processes and Materials, IMPACT and Mesoscale Chemical Systems, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands
Received: November 6, 2007
In Final Form: December 11, 2007
Abstract:
In this work, oxidative cracking of propane was studied in a microreactor containing a catalyst. A dielectric
barrier discharge (DBD) allows one to generate a cold microplasma, which activates propane forming radicals,
at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Homogeneous and well crystalline thin layers of MgO and
Li/MgO catalysts, 25 
m thicknesses, were deposited in the microchannel using sol-gel method and by
micropipetting. Li/MgO catalyst showed higher propane conversion and olefins selectivity compared to MgO.
The latter one suggests that (i) radicals formed by DBD in gas phase are differently terminated depending on
the catalyst surface and (ii) the surface of Li/MgO catalyst present more selective sites than MgO, such as
[Li+O-] centers and F-type defects that are generated and able to react at room temperature. Surprisingly
large amounts of products with higher molecular weight than propane, that is, C4, C4+ were also observed
due to only C-C bond formation.
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