ABSTRACT
The catalytic behaviour of vanadyl pyrophosphate in the partial oxidation of nbutane to maleic anhydride is reported. The effect of increasing surface area of the catalyst is investigated. The results obtained indicate that increasing the surface area does play a role in the selectivity and yield of maleic anhydride. However, there is a maximum surface area above which no further benefit with regards to selectivity and yield to maleic anhydride are obtained.
