The Role of Phosphorus on Vanadia Catalyst for the Selective Oxidation of n-Butane to Maleic Anhydride

摘要

Selective oxidation of lower alkanes (ethane, propane, and n-butane) converts these less reactive molecules to valuable chemicals in a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly approach. The selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride, catalyzed by vanadyl pyrophosphate (VPP), is an important industrial process with a worldwide capacity of more than 500 kton annually. However, its reaction mechanism and active sites remain debatable due to the complexity and dynamic surfaces of VPP under reaction conditions. In this work, the role of phosphorus on the reaction network and mechanism for the selective oxidation of n-butane to maleic anhydride (MAN) is investigated.