Regulating monolayer WO4 tetrahedral units to promote a sustainable 4,4-Bisphenol-A industrial process

Abstract

Catalysts for 4,4-Bisphenol-A (BPA) production have moved from mineral acid (HCl) to bi-functional (-SO3H and -SH) resins, with high performance but limited lifespan while non-regenerable. How to achieve regenerable acidic catalysts with comparable performance as resin catalysts remains a challenge. Here, using a facile and rational approach, we present that the Indium and Titanium dual-doped W-based catalysts give full acetone (ACT) conversion within 2 h at > 96% 4,4-BPA selectivity, being higher than those over commercial resin catalysts. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analysis reveal that the well-organized monolayer WO4 tetrahedral units promoted by In and Ti act as the active species, being highly stable up to 800 °C and regenerable via simple calcination. The performance has been validated via life test (> 8000 h) using crude phenol feedstock. This advance will give strong impacts on sustainable industrial processes beyond 4,4-BPA production, with great potential extending to other acid catalyzed reactions.