An international research team has developed a new low-cost catalyst for producing propylene more efficiently and sustainably—without relying on crude oil processing and using smaller quantities of platinum, a rare and expensive precious metal. Propylene is a key component in the production of plastics, fibers, automotive parts, and electronic devices, and is considered a fundamental raw material in industry. Its global annual production exceeded 160 million tons in 2023, with forecasts surpassing 200 million tons by 2030.

The study, published in the prestigious journal Nature, is expected to have a significant impact on the industrial sector. Among the authors is Professor Paolo Fornasiero of the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Trieste, affiliated with the Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) in Florence and a member of the National Interuniversity Consortium for Materials Science and Technology (INSTM).

The research conducted by Professor Fornasiero and his colleagues presents a concrete solution for improving and optimizing a promising alternative to the traditional crude oil-based method for propylene production: the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) process. This process involves breaking carbon-hydrogen bonds in propane (a component of natural gas) to form propylene and release hydrogen. Typically activated at very high temperatures, the PDH process uses platinum-based catalysts, which are prone to aggregation and degradation after repeated use—a phenomenon known as sintering. Additionally, these high temperatures often lead to the formation of unwanted byproducts, such as solid carbon deposits, which reduce the catalyst's effectiveness.

As a result, the process remains inefficient and struggles to meet growing global demand for propylene.

Professor Fornasiero explains: “In the context of a more sustainable, less polluting, and less energy-intensive economy, our study suggests that it is possible to significantly reduce the use of platinum while maintaining—or even improving—performance, and at the same time avoiding the deactivation and regeneration cycles that current industrial plants require due to the rapid degradation of catalysts.”

The catalysts developed by the research team encapsulate platinum clusters in specially designed zeolites—minerals with a crystalline, microporous structure. These new catalysts can maintain high activity and selectivity for over six months under industrial conditions, whereas current catalysts typically last only a few weeks.

Beyond improving process efficiency, the researchers anticipate significant economic and environmental benefits, such as reduced maintenance and operating costs, fewer regeneration or replacement cycles, lower waste production, and a substantial reduction in platinum usage.

The international research team includes, alongside Professor Fornasiero, Professors Haibo Zhu and Xiaojun Bao and their collaborators from Fuzhou University (China); Professor Jean-Marie Basset at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia); and contributors from the Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory and the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China).

This publication comes just days after another article on the same topic by the same team appeared in the prestigious journal Science, published on May 1, 2025.