Bromine and iodine for selective partial oxidation of propane and methane

The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene can be enhanced through the addition of a halogen to a feed of oxygen and propane. In this paper, we examine halogen-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation by a mixture of I-2 and Br-2. We find that adding a small amount of Br-2 to a feed of I-2, C3H8, and O-2 produces propylene with 71% propane conversion and 83% propylene selectivity. Good performance is also obtained if a small amount of I-2 is added to a feed of Br-2, C3H8, and O-2. In both cases, the propylene yield is greater than the sum of the yields obtained with iodine and bromine separately. A variety of studies were performed to help understand the reaction mechanism. Methane halogenation was also investigated by using combinations of iodine and bromine to produce methyl iodide, and a microkinetic model was also constructed for methane halogenation in the gas-phase to help understand the mechanism.