Enhanced ethanol dehydration on γ-Al2O3 supported cobalt catalyst

Abstract

Ethanol catalytic dehydration was studied on a γ-Al2O3 and Co-Al2O3 catalyst prepared by the strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) method. Specific surface area characterization indicated that the Co-Al2O3 catalyst possessed higher surface area because of opening of γ-Al2O3 occluded pores. Acidity and basicity measurements of the catalysts by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) as followed by infrared and mass spectrometry (TPD-FTIR-MS) of adsorbed pyridine and CO2, respectively, indicated that the Co-Al2O3 catalyst possessed about half the Lewis acidity (accessible to pyridine) and moderately higher basicity than the parent γ-Al2O3. However, similar acidity measurements by NH3-TPD suggested the presence of occluded micropore acidity inaccessible to pyridine. XRD and IR measurements indicated that the support in the Co-Al2O3 catalyst underwent partial nitridation forming aluminum nitride and nitrogen containing Co species due to the SEA synthesis conditions. It was found that the Co-Al2O3 catalyst, under identical reaction conditions, could achieve similar ethanol conversion and ethylene selectivity to ethylene at lower temperatures than the original γ-Al2O3 support. Analysis of apparent activation energies contributions and water co-feeding tests indicated that the Co-Al2O3 was less inhibited by water and that water dimers and trimers were required to explain the experimental data. Furthermore, in situ modulation excitation-phase sensitive detection-diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (ME-PSD-DRIFTS) during ethanol dehydration at reaction conditions confirmed the enhanced hydrophobic properties of the Co-Al2O3, making this catalyst less propense to water inhibition at low to moderate temperatures. The enhanced surface hydrophobicity in combination with new micropore acidity allowed more active sites for reaction not accessible in the parent γ-Al2O3. Additionally, evidence is also presented from in situ ME-PSD-DRIFTS for the participation of adsorbed ethanol and ethoxide species as well as terminal and bridging hydroxyls bonded to octahedral and tetrahedral Al on Al2O3 (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) facets as likely reaction intermediates in the conversion of ethanol to diethyl ether and ethylene.