BiVxMo1-x oxide catalysts with varying compositions were investigated in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of 1-butene to 1,3-butadiene (BD). Notably, incorporation of vanadium in the Bi-Mo oxide significantly enhanced the catalytic performance in the ODH of 1-butene. Among the tested catalysts, the BiV0.6Mo0.4 oxide catalyst exhibited superior oxygen mobility in temperature-programmed re-oxidation experiments, revealed the facile desorption of adsorbed BD species in the temperature-programmed desorption of 1-butene, and displayed the highest performance (72.2% conversion of 1-butene and 64.0% yield in BD) in the ODH of 1-butene. Moreover, the performance of the tested catalysts decreased in the following order BiV0.6Mo0.4 > BiV0.4Mo0.6 > BiV0.8Mo0.2 > BiV0.2Mo0.8 > BiMo > BiV. In addition, the BiV0.6Mo0.4 oxide catalyst displayed stable performance over 85 hand its excellent catalytic ability makes it economically viable. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.