Abstract
A series of cerium and iron mixed oxide catalysts were prepared by thermal decomposition of Fe1.5PMo12O40 and Ce1.5PMo12O40 heteropolyanions mixture. The prepared catalysts have been characterized and tested for the conversion of isobutane in the presence of CO2. Characterization by XRD showed that besides Fe2O3 and CeO2, alpha-MoO3 was the main phase formed after thermal treatment. The effect of the support, the reaction temperature, and the presence of H2O in the reactant mixture was investigated. It has been found that the support enhanced both the conversion and isobutene selectivity. As for the reaction temperature and addition of water, it has been found that increasing the temperature increased both the conversion and isobutene selectivity, whereas the presence of water increased the isobutene selectivity but decreased the conversion.