Novel VPO Catalysts for n-Butane Oxidation to Maleic Anhydride:The Effects of Combined Moderators,Preparation Procedure and MCM-41 Supports

VPO catalysts are widely used in selective oxidation of n-butane into maleic anhydride (MA)^[1-2]. In the recent years, there is an obvious trend worldwide that the selectivity of a target product is more emphasized than the overall conversion, to decrease the undesired by-products. In this study, different approaches have been tried to generate more environmentally friendly VPO catalysts, with high MA selectivity and improved n-butane conversion. The moderated catalyst was prepared in aqueous phase^[3]. For comparison, the moderators were also introduced by impregnating the VPO precursor synthesized in organic medium. The supported VPO systems on the MCM-41 mesopore materials were prepared by employing the reaction of V₂O₅ with isobutanol in the presence of MCM-41 fine powder with different Si/Al ratios. The catalysts were evaluated at 385-425℃ and characterized by XRD, XPS and TPR etc.