Intensification of butane dehydrogenation on a granular catalyst by hydrogen removal through palladium alloy membranes

A commercial Cr2O3-Al2O3 catalyst was placed in one of two zones of a plug flow reactor with a palladium alloy membrane. The oxidation of hydrogen diffusing from the zone of butane dehydrogenation gave higher butadiene yields than hydrogen removal by an argon flow. The magnitude of the effect depended on the nature and content of the second palladium alloy component. The most efficient membrane for the synthesis of butene and butadiene from butane was a palladium-tin alloy.