Applications
- Industrial chemical production
- Sustainable plastics
- Petroleum fuels
Benefits
- High propylene selectivity, decreasing costly byproduct formation
- Reduced energy requirements and costs
- Easily scalable for all levels of production
Background
The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene is a fundamental chemical process for numerous feedstock pathways, from plastics to industrial fuels. Current processes suffer from either high energy intensity or reduced selectivity that increases CO2 and CO production. Catalysts with isolated pairs of metal atoms are gaining increasing attention for their unique structures, which enable tunable properties.
Technology Overview
Scientists at Berkeley Lab have developed platinum-cerium (Pt-Ce) catalysts paired with cerium oxide (CeO2-x) that enable increased propane oxidation efficiency over current technologies while retaining high levels of selectivity. Key features of this technology include:
- Extraordinary Propylene Selectivity: The Pt-Ce achieves a high propylene selectivity – up to 30% higher than traditional vanadium oxide or chromium oxide catalysts – while maintaining ~25% conversion rates at 550 oC.
- Reduced Energy Costs: Exothermic catalysis reaction requires significantly less energy compared to endothermic methods like direct propane dehydrogenation.
- Diminished Coke Formation: Use of an O2 oxidant reduces coke formation during oxidation compared to steam cracking, lowering costs of cleaning and maintenance.
- Easily Scalable: Catalysts can be easily integrated and scaled into current supply lines, minimizing investment costs.
Development Stage
Basic principles observed and reported (TRL 1)
Principal Investigators
Ji Yang and Ji Su
IP Status
Patent pending
Opportunities
Available for licensing or collaborative research
For More Information
Yang, J., Falling, L. J., Yan, S., Zhang, B., Verma, P., Daemen, L., Cheng, Y., Zhao, X., Zhang, S., Su, J., & others. (2025). Formation of hydrided Pt-Ce-H sites in efficient, selective oxidation catalysts. Science, 388(6746), 514–519. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv0735
