The effect of competitive adsorbate concentration and combination on the adsorption of H2PtCl6 onto gamma-Al2O3 in the preparation and performance of PtSnK/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst for propane dehydrogenation was investigated. The catalysts were prepared by sequential impregnation of Sn and Pt precursors. The effect of competitor concentration on Pt adsorption was studied by using hydrochloric acid (0.1-0.3 M) and the effect of pH was studied by using KCl/HCl mixtures at constant (0.1 M) total chloride ion concentration. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption/desorption, XRD, XRF, SEM and CO chemisorption. The catalytic performance tests were carried out in a fixed-bed quartz reactor under kinetic controlled condition for proper catalyst screening. It was found that the corrosive competitor HCl could be partially substituted with KCl without appreciable impact on catalyst performance with the advantage of lower acid attack on the support and reduced leaching of the deposited tin. A model based on initial concentration and uptake of the adsorbates was developed to obtain the adsorption parameters. Values of 890 mu mol/g and 600 lit/mol were obtained for adsorption site concentration of the tin-impregnated support and equilibrium constant for Pt adsorption, respectively, for HCl concentration range of 0.1-0.3 M. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.