Cr2O3 is a major component in commercial CrOx/alumina catalysts for C3-C4 dehydrogenation uses. Due to the strong interaction with alumina, the roles of Cr2O3 crystallinity and crystallite size in C3-C4 dehydrogenation are largely still up for debate. In this work, we first prepared four types of Cr2O3 particles with different crystallite sizes, used these particles to make pellets, and then evaluated isobutane dehydrogenation activity at different artificial aging levels. The physical properties, the bulk and/or surface chemical structure and species, and the particle morphology of the Cr2O3 particle were investigated by several techniques including X-ray diffraction, SEM, XPS, XAS, and Raman. This study is intended to answer several questions: 1. Are there any crystal structure differences among the different types of Cr2O3 particles? 2. Is there a difference in Cr speciation, local structure, and crystallinity between the surface and the bulk of the Cr2O3 pellets? 3. Is there chromium chromate present in Cr2O3 particles, and if so, where does this species reside? 4. Can any correlations be drawn between Cr2O3 crystallite size and isobutane dehydrogenation activity? 5. Do crystalline Cr2O3 and amorphous Cr2O3 exhibit differences in relative dehydrogenation activity?

Characterization of Cr2O3 particles and their application for isobutane dehydrogenation

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