This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $499,842 awarded on February 1, 2022 will support research into understanding and exploiting the favorable role of non-stoichiometric oxygen in bulk metal oxide catalyzed partial oxidation of light alkanes. The University of Houston will conduct the research under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) through January 31, 2025.
The project aims to develop a novel catalytic approach for enhancing ethene production from ethane while decreasing energy consumption. Researchers will combine new catalyst synthesis techniques with reaction engineering to optimize controlled oxygen introduction during light alkane oxidative dehydrogenation. This synergistic work combining mechanistic investigations and advanced crystallization methods could prove broadly applicable to high-temperature catalytic partial oxidation reactions. Catalysts developed through this research may enable an inexpensive, energy-efficient route for ethene manufacture with significantly lower operating temperatures than conventional processes.