DEHYDROGENATION
There are a number of extremely important industrial dehydrogenation processes.  For instance, the increasing demand for alkenes, and products manufactured from alkenes, has led to the conclusion that the current global industrial capacity may well be insufficient to meet the requirement.  The dehydrogenation of light alkanes has become of great industrial importance because it presents an alternative method for obtaining alkenes (e.g. propene, butadiene) from low-cost saturated hydrocarbon feedstocks. I have been interested in, and worked on, dehydrogenation for more than a decade.  The high temperature nature of the reaction leads to carbon laydown and rapid deactivation of the catalysts, the process is of course the reverse of hydrogenation.  Hence it fits with both my hydrogenation and catalyst deactivation interests.

An Isotope Labelling Study of the Deactivation of a Pt/alumina Catalyst used for Propane Dehydrogenation. Proceedings of the VIth International Symposium on Catalyst Deactivation, "Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis", Vol. 88, p297 - 304, (B.Delmon and G.F.Froment, eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, (1994). (with G.Webb, I.M.Matheson, and J.Grenfell).

The Effect of Sulphur on the Non-Steady State Reaction of Propane Over a Platinum/Alumina Catalyst at 873 K. J.Catal., 150, 170 - 176, (1994). (with P.Leeming and J.Grenfell).

Modelling of Alkane Dehydrogenation under Transient and Steady-State Conditions over a Chromia Catalyst using Isotopic Labelling. Reaction Kinetics and the Development of Catalytic Processes, p.149 - 155, (Eds. G.F.Froment and K.C.Waugh), Elsevier, Amsterdam, (1999). (with J.Grenfell, I.M.Matheson, and G.Webb)

Processes occurring during Deactivation/Regeneration of a Vanadia/Alumina Catalyst under Propane Dehydrogenation Conditions. "Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis", Vol. 139, p.271 - 278, (Eds. J.J. Spivey, G.W. Roberts, and B.H. Davis), Elsevier, Amsterdam, (2001). (with D. Lennon, G. Webb, and J. Willis)

Butane Dehydrogenation over Pt/Alumina: Activation, Deactivation and the Generation of Selectivity. Catalysis Today, 81, 583 - 587 (2003). (with J.M. McNamara, and D. Lennon)

Propane Dehydrogenation over Chromia Catalysts : Micro-Catalysis, Deactivation, Macro-Kinetics, and Reactor Modelling. Current Topics in Catalysis, 3, 245 - 265, (2003). (with E.H. Stitt)

The Nature of Carbon Deposition and Catalyst Regeneration during Butane Dehydrogenation over Vanadia Catalysts. 10th International Symposium on Catalyst Deactivation, p.257 – 262, Dechema, Frankfurt, 2006. (with S. Rugmini)

We collaborate with  Prof. Peter Stair at Northwestern University looking at the effect of promoters on alkane dehydrogenation over chromia and vanadia catalysts. The work at Northwestern involves using UV Raman spectroscopy to study the oxide structure.

Production of Alkenes over Chromia Catalysts: Effect of Potassium on Reaction Sites and Mechanism. 12th International Congress on Catalysis, "Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis", Vol. 130, p.2213 - , (Eds. A.Corma, F.V.Melo, S.Mendioroz, and J.L.G.Fiero), Elsevier, Amsterdam, (2000). (with I.M.Matheson, M-L.Naeye, P.C.Stair, V.S.Sullivan, S.R.Watson, and G.Webb)

On the Structure of Vanadium Oxide Supported on Aluminas: UV and Visible Raman Spectroscopy, UV-Visible Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, and Temperature-Programmed Reduction Studies. J. Phys. Chem B, 109, 2793 - 2800, (2005) (with Hack Sung Kim, Zili Wu, Sreekala Rugmini and P.C. Stair)

A Comparison of Catalyst Deactivation of Vanadia Catalysts used for Alkane Dehydrogenation. Chemical Engineering Journal, 120, 127 – 132, (2006). (with S. Rugmini, P.C. Stair, Z. Wu)
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