Oxidative Conversion of Hexane to Olefins-Influence of Plasma and Catalyst on Reaction Pathways

Abstract

An integrated plasma-Li/MgO system is efficient for the oxidative conversion of hexane. In comparison to the Li/MgO catalytic system, it brings considerable improvements in the yields of light olefins (C 2 = –C 5 = ) at relatively low temperatures indicating synergy from combination of plasma and catalyst. The study on the influence of temperature on the performance of the integrated plasma-Li/MgO system shows dominancy of plasma chemistry at the lower temperature (500°C), while contribution from the catalyst both in hexane activation and in enhancing olefin formation becomes significant at the higher temperature (600°C). At 500°C significant amount of acetylene formation is observed. This is minimized at 600°C at oxygen depleting condition