A novel catalyst (Pt-LaMnO3) for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene in short contact time reactors was developed by Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione (CNR) in cooperation with Snamprogetti, with a multi-layered structure consisting of a thin layer of Pt deposited onto a layer of LaMnO3 perovskite supported over monolithic carriers. Such structured catalyst was tested in a head-to-head comparison with state-of-the-art Pt and Pt-Sn systems, under autothermal process conditions, showing enhanced performances both in terms of high temperature stability and yields to ethylene. The development of a durable, high-performance catalyst undertaken in this work may be beneficial to making catalytic ethane ODH more economically viable and represents a further step towards its pre-commercial implementation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.