Production of lower alkenes by gas phase oxidative cracking of C6 hydrocarbons

Gas phase oxidative cracking (GOC) of benzene had higher reactivity and decoking ability than those of relevant pyrolysis. Benzene GOC produced more CO than lower alkenes. Oxygen showed high ability in ring opening of cycloalkane. High yield of lower alkene could be obtained at lower temperature in GOC of cycloalkane. Oxygen played an important role not only in initiation of cyclohexane dehydrogenation but also in its subsequent cracking to low alkenes (or alkanes), which was similar to cracking of n-hexane in mechanism. For GOC of n-hexane or cyclohexane, oxygen primarily participated in oxydehydrogenation at lower temperature, while it mostly participated partial oxidation reaction at higher temperatures and produced COx (x = 1,2). Benzene was largely partially oxidized by oxygen into CO in GOC.