Supported oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst

A process for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene comprising contacting a feed comprising ethane and oxygen with a catalyst at a gas hourly space velocity from 900 to 1800 h−1, at a temperature from 300 C to 600 C, at a pressure from 15 to 50 psig (103.4 to 344.73 kPag), and a molar ratio of oxygen to feed from 1:2.5 to 1:10,

• wherein the catalyst has a productivity of not less than 300 g of olefin per 1 kg of the catalyst active phase per hour and an ethylene selectivity of at least 96 weight % and wherein a process for preparing the catalyst comprises co-comminuting a mixture consisting of:
• a) from 10 to 99 weight % of a mixed oxide catalyst of the formula VxMoyNbzTemMenOp, wherein Me is a metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, W, Hf, Zr and mixtures thereof;
• and
• x is from 0.1 to 3;
• y is from 0.5 to 1.5;
• z is from 0.001 to 3;
• m is from 0.001 to 5;
• n is from 0.001 to 2;
• and p is a number to satisfy the valence state of the mixed oxide catalyst;
• and
• b) 90 to 1 weight % of an inert matrix selected from oxides of titanium, zirconium, aluminum, magnesium, yttrium, lanthanum, silicon and their mixed compositions or a carbon matrix;
• to produce particles having a size from 1 to 100 microns and forming the resulting particles into pellets having a size from 0.1 to 2 mm.