Effect of tellurium addition to supported Mo-V-O catalysts for the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile

The effect of Te addition over Mo-V-O catalysts supported on alumina is discussed for the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. Catalysts were characterized before and after catalytic reaction by XPS, XRD, UV–vis and in situ Raman spectroscopies. The absence of Te in catalysts formulation and the presence of a high amount of vanadium induce the presence of V5+ species and the formation of V2O5 oxide; associated with a decrease in acrylonitrile selectivity. The presence of heteropolyacids-type structures, such as Al-Mo-V-O or Al-Mo-O, promotes a decreasing of the selectivity to acrylonitrile. The characterization results reveal that the surface of Mo-V-Te-O catalysts is further different from the binary counterparts, due to the presence of stabilized and reduced structures dispersed on the support. The Te incorporation to supported Mo-V catalysts conduces to a better performance during propane ammoxidation.