Dehydrogenation of ethane assisted by CO2 over Y-doped ceria supported Au catalysts

Dehydrogenation of ethane assisted by CO2 has been investigated over Au catalyst supported on Y-doped CeO2 nanorod. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, N2 adsorption, XPS, TG, H2-TPR and Raman spectroscopy. Enhanced activity can be obtained after the proper Y doping. The optimal catalyst Au/Ce0.9Y0.1 exhibits an ethane conversion of 20.9% and nearly 100% selectivity to ethylene without any evident tendency of deactivation in 50 h. The reducibility of surface oxygen species is found to play a key role in the dehydrogenation assisted by CO2, which can be improved by proper Y doping into CeO2 nanorod. The promoting effect of CO2 on activity is evident over Au/Ce0.9Y0.1 catalyst, due to the quick transformation of H2 product into H2O by the reverse water gas shift reaction. The catalyst stability is also improved by the addition of CO2, attributed to the elimination of coke by Bouduoard reaction.