Production of acrylic acid from Bio-Derived lactic acid over a Defect-Rich molybdenum phosphosulfide catalyst

Abstract

Introducing phosphorous and sulphur with molybdenum possess molybdenum phosphosulfate (MoP|S), and the material showed significant activity and stability for the vapour phase dehydration of bio-derived lactic acid to acrylic acid. Adding excessive thiourea-raptured layer spacing creates a defect-rich catalytic structure with more edges and kinks. This disordered atomic arrangement on the basal surface enhanced the dehydration performances of MoS2 catalysts. Considering the inverse trend of acetaldehyde and AA selectivity, we can assume that the decarboxylation of LA is favoured at low temperatures, whereas dehydration is favoured at high temperatures. Rate expression governed by the power law equation was found to be the best fit during the kinetic study, and the Ea of the dehydration was 11.39 KJ/mol. A conversion of 94% with a selectivity of 91% for acrylic acid at 450 °C was achieved over the defect-rich MoS2 catalyst.