Abstract
The aqueous phase reforming (APR) of glycerol was studied using sonochemically synthesized 10%Ni-x%Ca/ZrO2 catalysts (where x = 0, 0.5, 3, and 5) for the production of value-added liquid products. The APR reaction was performed in a batch reactor under the following conditions: 20 bar, 230 °C 450 rpm, and 1 h of reaction time. The synthesized catalysts were characterized using XRD, FESEM, BET, and H2-TPR to observe the effect of Ca doping on the physio-chemical properties of the catalysts. The results revealed that, at higher Ca loading, the catalysts experienced serious particles’ agglomeration, which resulted in a larger particles’ size, smaller surface area, and smaller pore volume owing to uneven distribution of the particles. The characterization results of the catalysts confirmed that the Us catalysts have a slightly higher surface area, pore volume, and pore size, as well as highly reducible and fine crystalline structure, compared with WI catalysts. The catalytic performance of the catalysts shows that 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) and 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) were the two main liquid products produced from this reaction. The highest selectivity of 1,3-PDO (23.84%) was obtained over the 10%Ni/ZrO2 catalyst, while the highest selectivity of 1,2-PDO (25.87%) was obtained over the 10%Ni-5%Ca/ZrO2 catalyst.
Highlights
Introduction distributed under the terms andThe utilization of fossil fuels as the main energy source has led to various environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, and air pollution
1,2-PDO can be further converted into acetone or propanol, which were idenIn the comparison of the performance of Us and WI catalysts, it is observed that the tified among the products produced via this reaction, whereas ethylene glycol (EG) was proUs catalysts give a relatively high selectivity of the products produced via aqueous phase reforming (APR) reaction duced only as a minor product via dehydrogenation of glycerol to 2,3-dihydroxypropanal compared with WI catalysts
The sonochemically synthesized Ni/ZrO2 catalysts doped with different Ca loading have become a new development in the APR of glycerol for the production of value-added chemicals
Summary
The utilization of fossil fuels as the main energy source has led to various environmental problems such as global warming, climate change, and air pollution. Et al [22] investigated the effect of introducing ultrasound irradiation on the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity of Mo-Ni/Al2 O3 and Mo-Ni/H-Y zeolite for APR of glycerol and sorbitol for value-added chemicals’ production They reported that ultrasound irradiation helped to improve the textural properties of the catalysts, including particle dispersion and surface area, as well as the catalytic performance of the catalysts during APR reaction. The APR reaction was investigated using a series of sonochemically synthesized 10%Ni-x%Ca/ZrO2 catalysts (where x = 0, 0.5, 3, and 5) with emphasis on the effect of Ca loading on the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and the distribution of the liquid products. The performance of the catalysts during the reaction is investigated based on the selectivity of the liquid products and glycerol conversion
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