RADICAL-CHAIN MECHANISM OF PROPANE CRACKING IN THE GAS-TYPE PHASE ON AEROGEL CATALYTIC SYSTEMS

Today, some of the most urgent issues are the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pollution of water and soil, reduction of biodiversity, and other environmental disturbances. These factors threaten the environment, which leads to the need to develop new, effective methods to reduce harmful emissions and increase the production of quality energy. Associated petroleum gas (APG) is a valuable by-product of oil production, which, when released into the atmosphere, causes serious environmental problems. Conventional APG utilization through flaring results in significant greenhouse gas emissions and loss of valuable feedstock. This paper investigates APG processing with a focus on propane, which, through cracking, forms important compounds such as ethylene and propylene. Thermal cracking has several disadvantages, such as high energy consumption and low selectivity. To improve this process, we propose the use of catalytic nanosystems based on nanofibrous aluminum oxide aerogel, which allows the reduction of the reaction onset temperature to 673 K. The developed specific surface area of catalysts with a large number of acidic catalytic centers has been established. The analysis showed that in the process of hydrogen activation, the amorphous aluminum oxide nanofibrous aerogel acquires a new nanocrystalline structure of linked interwoven bundles with a thickness of 6 nm. The mechanism of propane cracking was investigated on Al2O3 and Al2O3f catalysts. Data analysis of carbon nanoporous materials showed a sharp increase in the characteristic adsorption energy up to 29 kJ/mol, which indicates an increase in the catalytic activity of the synthesized aerogels in comparison with industrial aluminum oxide, as well as the possibility of multiple-use and, consequently, an increase in their lifetime. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.