Electrocatalytically-assisted Oxidative Dehydrogenation (ODH) of Ethane

Umit Ozkan, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OHIO, USA
Doruk Dogu, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Katja Meyer, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Anshuman fuller, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Seval Gunduz, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Dhruba Deka, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Nathaniel Kramer, Chemical And Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus
Anne Co, Chemistry And Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus



Alkane ODH is an important catalytic reaction for converting lower alkanes to olefins. However, one of the shortcomings of traditional ODH is the limited ability to prevent further oxidation of the formed olefins. Electro-catalytic reactors using an oxide ion-conducting membrane offer a potential solution to control the selectivity to the desired olefins by regulating the availability of oxygen. These reactors are similar to the setup of solid oxide fuel cells, but instead of generating power, an external voltage/current is applied to control the oxygen supply to the alkane.

The conventional Ni-based anode materials are not very suitable for this process, since they have a low redox stability and suffer from coking in the presence of hydrocarbons. Perovskite materials of the type ABO3 have shown promise as anode catalysts for the electro-catalytic ODH reaction due to the possibility of tailoring their electronic and ionic conductivity and catalytic properties by suitable A- or B-site doping and their high resistance to coke deposition.

In the scope of the present study, strontium titanate (ST), lanthanum-doped strontium titanates, (LST), as well as chlorine-doped perovskites of the same form (LST-Cls) were synthesized using a modified Pechini method. Their bulk, surface and electronic properties were characterized using N2 physisorption, ambient and controlled-environment X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and electronic conductivity measurements. In addition to testing these catalysts in the electrochemical membrane reactor, fixed-bed reaction testing was also done to understand their ability to activate ethane. Lanthanum and/or chlorine doping was shown to affect the surface acidity, electronic conductivity and catalytic performance.