Light alkanes (C₁ to C₅) constitute rather cheap raw materials coming from natural gas fields or from naphta. Dehydrogenation reactions have been widely used to get the corresponding olefins of much higher commercial value. However such reactions are endothermal and the catalysts, often chromia based, deactivate due to carbonaceous residues fouling. Another way is to proceed by partial oxidation, which overcomes easily the last two problems, although alkanes are weakly reactive and can lead to total oxidation due to higher reaction temperature necessary. One then gets the corresponding olefins or oxygenated compounds (alcohols, aldehydes, acids) of even higher commercial value. The oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride is a well-known industrial process on VPO catalyst. MoNbTe(Sb)V-O mixed oxide catalysts of different chemical compositions, calcined and activated before reaction under different conditions, have been developed for ethane or propane oxidation to ethene or acrylic acid respectively and VSb mixed oxide/Al₂O₃ for propane ammoxidation.

In this lecture we will present some recent results from us or from the literature dealing with the preparation of different mixed oxides of nano size particles and some of their catalytic properties. Catalyst characterization will be presented to determine the catalyst behaviour and the role of different phases present.

The studies of reaction kinetic, reaction mechanisms and catalyst characterisation were complemented by a combinatorial approach to try to determine if high throughput technology could be applied for such complex systems.

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