Abstract
Cu/x-SiO2 catalysts with 4, 10, and 20 nm silica sols as supports was produced by ammonia evaporation method and characterized. Different nano-sized silica sols as supports significantly affected the structure and catalytic properties of the copper catalysts for ethylene glycol synthesis from dimethyl oxalate. Compared with Cu/20-SiO2 and Cu/4-SiO2 catalysts, the catalytic performance and stability of Cu/10-SiO2 catalyst were greatly enhanced. The Cu/10-SiO2 catalyst showed 99.9% conversion with 94% EG selectivity and a lifetime of over 3080 h if it is calculated by industrial weight liquid hourly space velocity (WLHSV) of 0.5 h−1. The Cu/10-SiO2 catalyst has one of the longest lifetimes among the catalysts and is a good alternative catalyst for this reaction. Improvement in the catalytic performance and stability of Cu/10-SiO2 is attributed to the proper SBET, Dp and larger dispersion of copper. In addition, the supports of Cu/10-SiO2 catalyst have smaller particles than that of Cu/20-SiO2; thus, the migration and growth of copper species in catalysts are restrained during the reaction.
Highlights
Chemical catalytic hydrogenation of ester is an important method for the production of high value-added intermediates and fine organic products [1,2,3]
One of the representative reactions is the synthesis of ethylene glycol (EG) by using coal as raw material via dimethyl oxalate (DMO)
A series of Cu/x-SiO2 catalysts with Cu loading but different nano-sized silica sol as supports was prepared by Auger electron (AE) method
Summary
Chemical catalytic hydrogenation of ester is an important method for the production of high value-added intermediates and fine organic products [1,2,3]. The coal-DMO-EG process has gained interest and rapid development because of the increasing use of EG [4], especially in China where oil resource is scarce and coal resource is abundant Several disadvantages of this process, such as low yields and short lifetime of catalyst for hydrogenation of DMO to EG, should be solved. Improving the activity and stability of the DMO hydrogenation catalyst to enhance EG synthesis is crucial. Relevant reports on the effect of different nano-sized silica sol as the support on the structure and properties of copper-based catalysts are still lacking. Texture changes and improvements in catalytic stability caused by the effect of nano-sized supports in the catalyst were discussed with the characterization and experimental results
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