Development of novel ammoxidation catalysts with tailored anion structures based on transition metal nitrides and oxynitrides

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Acrylonitrile (ACN) is an important intermediate in chemical industry for the manufacture of acrylic fibres, polymers and coatings being currently produced by ammoxidation of costly and increasingly scarce propylene. This project aims at developing novel catalysts allowing the use of cheaper and abundant propane, which is of high industrial interest, economic potential and sustainability, since natural resources (gas and oil) can be more efficiently used. Despite much research in the last decade, propane-based ACN processes are still in their infancy. Currently, the best catalysts are based on well-known MoVNbTe mixed oxides (“Mitsubishi” systems) which provide maximum ACN yields of only 60 %. Attempts to enhance the catalytic performance were mainly based on modifying the catalysts cation composition, yet with limited success. Therefore, it is anticipated that the propane-based route to ACN using “Mitsubishi” catalysts cannot be considerably improved anymore. Hence, novel routes to tailored catalysts shall be developed, which do not just vary the cation composition in MoVNbTe oxides as usual, but exploit the unique properties of different anion structures, e. g., from mixed transition metal nitrides and oxynitrides. A complex, rational approach will be followed that integrates catalyst synthesis, catalyst function explored under working conditions as well as catalytic tests and kinetic studies, taking advantage of the complementary skills of the two collaborating laboratories in each step of the research program. For exploring the application potential and the role of structural features of the new catalysts with respect to ammoxidation of aromatic substrates, toluene shall also be used as reactant.