Selective ammoxidation of propane over multicomponent oxide catalysts

The ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile was investigated over various multicomponent mixed oxidecatalysts. Bi₃GaMo₂ oxide, Bi_0.85V_0.55Mo_0.45 oxide and Bi₂TiMo oxide showed a good selectivity to acrylonitrile. The catalytic performance was strongly dependent on the components constituting the oxides due to the concentration of defects, the nature of the component and the mixed oxide phases. The effect of support type on the catalytic performance of Bi_0.85V_0.55Mo_0.45 oxide showed that selectivity to acrylonitrile decreased in the order silica > alumina > magnesia. The catalytic performance of Bio_0.85V_0.55Mo_0.45 oxide was improved by the addition of a small amount of a component such as magnesium, calcium and tellurium. The catalytic performance of Bi₃GaMo₂, oxide catalyst, however, decreased significantly with the addition of a smallamount of alkali metal (Li, Na, K, Cs).