Oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride on Sb-V/ZrO2 catalysts

Abstract

Zirconia-supported and bulk-mixed vanadium-antimonium catalysts were used for the oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride. Vanadium promoted the transition of tetragonal to monoclinic zirconia. The simultaneous presence of antimony and vanadium on zirconia at low coverage led to a preferential interaction of individual V and Sb oxides with the zirconia surface rather than the formation of a binary Sb-V oxide, while at higher Sb-V contents, the formation of SbVO4 took place. Sb-V-ZrO2 catalysts showed high activity for o-xylene conversion and better selectivity to phthalic anhydride as compared to V/ZrO2 catalysts. However, their selectivity to phthalic anhydride was poor compared to V/TiO2 commercial catalysts. The improved selectivity of the Sb-containing catalysts was attributed to the blocking of non-effective surface sites of ZrO2, the decrease of the total amount of acid sites and the formation of surface V-O-Sb-O-V structures.