Ethane Oxidation in the Presence of Copper-Containing Zirconia Modified with Acid Additives

The complete oxidation of ethane in the presence of catalysts containing 1, 3, and 5 wt % CuO deposited on four supports (zirconia, sulfated zirconia, tungstated zirconia, and La2O3-stabilized zirconia) is studied. The supports and the catalysts are characterized via BET, XRD, and thermal analysis. It is shown that 100% conversion of ethane is achieved even at a temperature of 300 degrees C. It is found that the temperature of 100% conversion falls upon an increase in the copper content; the lowest temperature is obtained for catalysts based on unmodified zirconia. With respect to catalytic activity, the samples with the highest copper content are in the order 5%Cu/ZrO2 > 5%Cu/5%La2O3/ZrO2 > 5%Cu/15%WO3/ZrO2 > 5%Cu/5%SO4/ZrO2. The temperatures of 100% ethane conversion for these catalysts are 305, 385, 410, and 419 degrees C, respectively.