CO 2 ‐Promoted Soft Oxidative Vapor‐Phase Dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene via Sr–V Oxide Catalyst

ABSTRACT Global styrene production is significantly constrained by high energy demand in conventional processes, with nearly 90% of total energy consumption arising from the direct dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. In this study, a series of strontium‐vanadium oxide‐based catalysts with varying atomic ratios was employed for the soft oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. The physicochemical characterization examined from p ‐XRD analysis revealed the presence of anorthic and tetragonal phases with slight lattice distortions, while the TPD analysis indicated that an increase in strontium content enhanced the basicity of the catalysts. The SV21 catalyst exhibited the highest basic site density, whereas the SV11 catalyst possessed a balanced distribution of acidic and basic sites. Notably, the SV11 catalyst demonstrated optimum catalytic performance, achieving 77% conversion and 79% selectivity, along with stable operation for up to 42 h. The enhanced activity is attributed to the synergistic effect of moderate acid‐base properties, oxygen vacancies, and strong metal‐oxygen interactions. Furthermore, the kinetic studies revealed that the reaction rate increased with temperature, while the thermodynamic analysis confirmed the endothermic nature of the reaction. Overall, this work highlights the effective utilization of CO 2 as a soft oxidant and emphasizes potential of bimetallic catalysts for energy‐efficient industrial styrene production.