Pt-Promoted Cu/SBA-15 Catalysts with Excellent Performance for Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Dimethyl Oxalate to Ethylene Glycol

Abstract

Cu/SBA-15 catalysts containing a small amount of Pt (Cu–Pt/SBA-15) were prepared by sequential adsorption–reduction method and examined for chemoselective hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) to ethylene glycol (EG). The Cu–Pt/SBA-15 catalyst with an optimal Cu/Pt atomic ratio of 10 showed a DMO conversion close to 100 % with a 98 % selectivity to EG at a temperature as low as 463 K. The results showed that the best Cu–Pt/SBA-15 enhanced the space time yield of EG by about 1.47 times compared with Cu/SBA-15. The introduction of Pt with stronger ability for H2 adsorption and activation substantially enhanced the reducibility of the Cu2+ species and further promoted the chemisorption capacity of H2. After reduction, a portion of Cu was alloyed with Pt, which was beneficial for the generation and stabilization of a balanced Cu+/Cu0 ratio during the hydrogenation process.