Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutane on cobalt,nickel, and manganese molybdates

The kinetics of oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutane in the presence of atmospheric oxygen on manganese molybdate has been studied. The experiments have been carried out in a circulation flow reactor at 470–530°C. The form of kinetic equations and the mechanism of the formation of isobutene, carbon oxides, and cracking products on manganese molybdate are similar to those found previously for the same reaction on cobalt and nickel molybdates. The highest yields of isobutene and propene (isobutane cracking products) are achieved on Co_0.95MoO₄. The mechanism of the process has been investigated by the unsteady-state response method. Manganese molybdate contains the largest amount of reactive oxygen, whereas nickel molybdate contains the smallest amount of reactive oxygen. The earlier conclusion that molybdate lattice oxygen and chemisorbed oxygen play the main role in the formation of iso-C₄H₈ and in deep oxidation processes, respectively, is confirmed.