Catalytic Partial Oxidation of Propylene to Acrolein: The Activity of Bismuth Molybdate Catalysts under Oxygen‐Rich Conditions

The effect of Bi/Mo ratio, which varied between 1:3 and 2:1, on the activity of bismuth molybdate catalysts prepared by precipitation method for partial oxidation of propylene has been investigated. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed that the catalysts contained a mixture of α‐Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 and molybdite (MoO 3 ) for BI/Mo = 1:3, pure α‐Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 , for Bi/Mo = 2:3, a mixture of β‐Bi 2 Mo 2 O 9 and α‐Bi 2 Mo 3 O 12 for Bi/Mo = ]:I, and pure γ.Bi 2 MoO 6 for Bi/Mo = 2:l. The catalytic activity tests show that the catalysts achieved up to 56% conversion of C 3 H 6 , with up to 91% selectivity towards C 3 H 4 0 production. The relative reactivity of the catalysts follow the order of Bi/Mo 2:3 = Bi/Mo 2:1> Bi/Mo 1.3 Bi/Mo 1:1.