Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane in the Realm of Metal–Organic Frameworks

Abstract

Propylene (propene) is one of the most important feedstocks in the chemical industry. It is a starting material for the synthesis of a wide variety of commodity chemicals ranging from small molecules (cumene, isopropanol, acrylonitrile, acrylic acid, propylene oxide, and butyraldehyde) to polymers (most notably, polypropylene). In 2013, approximately 85 million tons of propylene were processed worldwide—14 million in the United States alone.(1, 2) Traditionally, propylene is produced along with other light olefins by steam cracking or fluid catalytic cracking of higher hydrocarbons.(3) These methods are not ideal as the costs of the starting materials escalate and due to poor selectivity increasing production, purification, and energetic costs.