Given the high cost and environmental problems of Pt and Cr2O3-based catalysts in current dehydrogenation technologies, the cost-effective and environment-friendly Sn/SiO2 catalyst, exhibiting comparable dehydrogenation performance to PtSn-based catalyst, provides an outstanding alternative for catalytic dehydrogenation of propane. Sn is demonstrated to play a leading role in dehydrogenation as a highly active component, profoundly updating people's conventional understanding that Sn was only a promoter. Further, to address the deactivation problem of Sn/SiO2 catalyst due to coke deposition and mobility of Sn species during a long-term run, Pd has been introduced into the catalyst and its effect has been validated. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.