Patent ID: 6916756

Claim:
A process for regenerating a dehydrogenation catalyst, wherein the dehydrogenation catalyst comprises a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconium dioxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, magnesium oxide, lanthanum oxide and cerium oxide, and platinum and/or palladium, which comprises the steps (a)-(f): (a) flushing with inert gas at a pressure of from 0.5 to 2.0 bar and a gas hourly velocity of from 1000 to 50000 h −1 ; (b) passing an oxygen-containing gas mixture comprising an inert gas through the catalyst at a pressure of from 2 to 20 bar and a gas hourly velocity of from 1000 to 50 000 h −1 for from 0.25 to 24 hours while increasing the oxygen concentration stepwise or continuously from an initial value of from 0.01 to 1% by volume of O 2 to a final value of from 10 to 25% by volume of O 2 ; (c) optionally passing an oxygen-containing gas mixture comprising an inert gas through the catalyst at a pressure of from 0.5 to 20 bar and a gas hourly velocity of from 10 to 500 h −1 for from 0.25 to 100 h, with the oxygen concentration being from 10 to 25% by volume of O 2 ; (d) optionally changing the pressure repeatedly, rapidly and in opposite directions by a factor of from 2 to 20 within the range from 0.5 to 20 bar; (e) flushing with an inert gas; (f) activating the catalyst by means of hydrogen; where at least one of the steps (c) or (d) is carried out and the entire regeneration process is carried out at from 300 to 800° C.