Abstract
Dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene in the presence of carbon dioxide was investigated over a series of binary iron-chromium oxides (Fe2O3-Cr2O3) supported On alumina, silica and titania. The catalysts were characterized by Means of XRD, IR and SEM. XRD and FT-IR characterization indicated that iron and chromium ions are dispersed into the support Matrix. Compared to Fe-Cr-Si-30 and Fe-Cr-Ti-30 catalysts, Fe-Cr-Al-30 was found to be the most active (conversion = 57.2 %) and the Most selective in styrene (94.1 %). The activity value was observed in the following order Fe-Cr-Al > Fe-Cr-Ti > Fe-Cr-Si. SEM images indicated that there are no significant carbonaceous deposits on the spent Fe Cr-Al-30 catalyst, whereas modifications of its morphological aspect were observed. The variation of Fe-Cr content in the Fe-Cr-Al catalysts showed that the activity depends strongly on the Content. The optimal content determined was 50 wt- %.