“ETHYLBENZENE DEHYDROGENATION IN THE PRESENCE OF CARBON DIOXIDE OVER MAGNESIA-SUPPORTED IRON OXIDES”.

A. P. DE M. MONTEIRO; S. B. LIMA; M. DE S. RAMOS; S. G. MARCHETTI; M. C. RANGEL

Simposio; “International Symposium on Alternative Clean Synthetic Fuels”; 2012

Magnesia-supported iron oxides were prepared by two methods and evaluated in ethylbenzene dehydrogenation in the presence of carbon dioxide to produce styrene, a high value intermediate for chemical industry. The classical method of impregnation produced a solid with higher specific surface area and more active than magnesia, made of a spinel (MgFe2O4). On the other hand, the impregnation of a magnetic fluid produced hematite nanoparticles (18 and 71 nm) supported on magnesia, which showed specific surface area and activity even higher than the other sample. The highest activity of iron nanoparticles was related to their small size, exposing more active sites.