Yttrium-Modified Ceria As a Highly Durable Catalyst for the Selective Conversion of Ethanol to Propene and Ethene

Among 31 CeO 2 -based catalysts modified with various additives, those doped with yttrium showed the most stable activity for the conversion of ethanol to propene and ethene. The yields of propene and ethene were 25 and 50%, respectively, at 693–703 K in the absence of water and did not change after continuous catalysis over 80 h. The carbon deposition rate on the catalyst was ∼1/100 of that reported for zeolite catalysts. The addition of water into the reaction system increased the propene yield to 30% and decreased the ethene yield to 37%.