Review of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene

Literatures of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene were reviewed. Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene has the advantages of low energy-cost and unconstraint of thermodynamic equilibrium, compared with the traditional super-hot steam process. The most studied iron oxide and vanadium oxide catalyst were reviewed and commented. State-of-the-art of the oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst and its mechanism of reaction were also summarized. Emphases were focused on the deactivation of the catalysts and its improvements. Deactivation of the catalysts were caused by the coke deposition and reduction of active components. Methods such as, addition of promotors, selection of carriers and optimization of preparation technique were applied to improve its catalytic performance. Size effect of the catalyst also has influenced the catalytic activity and stability. Suggestions were given for the future R&D of this type of catalysts.