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

Dehydrogenation of ethane assisted by CO 2 has been investigated over Au catalyst supported on Y-doped CeO 2 nanorod. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, N 2 adsorption, XPS, TG, H 2 -TPR and Raman spectroscopy. Enhanced activity can be obtained after the proper Y doping. The optimal catalyst Au/Ce 0.9 Y 0.1 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 CO 2 , which can be improved by proper Y doping into CeO 2 nanorod. The promoting effect of CO 2 on activity is evident over Au/Ce 0.9 Y 0.1 catalyst, due to the quick transformation of H 2 product into H 2 O by the reverse water gas shift reaction. The catalyst stability is also improved by the addition of CO 2 , attributed to the elimination of coke by Bouduoard reaction.