Controlled preparation and characterization of supported CuCr2O4 catalysts for hydrogenolysis of highly concentrated glycerol

Zihui Xiao; Jinghai Xiu; Xinkui Wang; Bingsen Zhang; Christopher T. Williams; Dangsheng Su; Changhai Liang

doi:10.1039/C2CY20788E

Controlled preparation and characterization of supported CuCr₂O₄catalysts for hydrogenolysis of highly concentrated glycerol

Zihui Xiao,^a Jinghai Xiu,^a Xinkui Wang,^a Bingsen Zhang,^b Christopher T. Williams,^c Dangsheng Su^b and Changhai Liang*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Catalytic Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116012, China
E-mail: changhai@dlut.edu.cn
Fax: +86-411-84986353

^b Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China

^c Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, USA

Abstract

Supported Cu–Cr catalysts were prepared by a non-alkoxide sol–gel route, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), H₂-temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement. Their structures were significantly tuned by the Cu–Cr molar ratio. CuCr₂O₄, CuCr₂O₄–CuO and CuCr₂O₄–Cr₂O₃ structures were confirmed in CuCr(0.5), CuCr(4) and CuCr(0.25) catalysts, respectively. A direct interaction between CuCr₂O₄ and CuO or Cr₂O₃ in CuCr(4) and CuCr(0.25) catalyst was observed by the H₂-TPR and XPS results. The catalytic performance of Cu–Cr catalysts with various structures was examined by hydrogenolysis reaction of high concentrated glycerol. Under mild conditions (2.0 MPa and 130 °C) and high concentration (100 wt%), the maximum conversion (52%) was obtained over the CuCr(0.5) catalyst, while the CuCr(4) catalyst gave the highest selectivity of 1,2-PD (up to 100%). This finding will result in the production of less waste water and lower energy consumption in the following separation steps during glycerol hydrogenolysis.

Article information

https://doi.org/10.1039/C2CY20788E

Article type

Paper

Submitted

15 Nov 2012

Accepted

19 Dec 2012

First published

19 Dec 2012

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Catal. Sci. Technol., 2013,3, 1108-1115

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Controlled preparation and characterization of supported CuCr₂O₄ catalysts for hydrogenolysis of highly concentrated glycerol

Z. Xiao, J. Xiu, X. Wang, B. Zhang, C. T. Williams, D. Su and C. Liang, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2013, 3, 1108 DOI: 10.1039/C2CY20788E

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Catalysis Science & Technology