Green Synthesis of Ni-Nb oxide Catalysts for Low-Temperature Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane

The straightforward solid-state grinding of a mixture of Ni nitrate and Nb oxalate crystals led to, after mild calcination (T<400 °C), nanostructured Ni-Nb oxide composites. These new materials efficiently catalyzed the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane to ethylene at a relatively low temperature (T<300 °C). These catalysts appear to be much more stable than the corresponding composites prepared by other chemical methods; more than 90% of their original intrinsic activity was retained after 50 h with time on-stream. Furthermore, the stability was much less affected by the Nb content than in composites prepared by classical "wet" syntheses. These materials, obtained in a solvent-free way, are thus promising green and sustainable alternatives to the current Ni-Nb candidates for the low-temperature ODH of ethane.