Synthesis of hybrid materials containing H-ZSM-5 and CeO2 for green butadiene production

Abstract

Synthesis of hybrid materials combining two or more components with different properties is a commonly used strategy to obtain high-performance materials for a wide range of different applications, including catalytic reactions with a complex reaction network. In this work, two synthesis approaches are investigated to prepare hybrid materials containing two well-defined phases, i.e. H-ZSM-5 and CeO2. By dispersing nano-sized H-ZSM-5 on CeO2, and by synthesizing a core-shell catalyst with a nano H-ZSM-5 core and a ceria shell, a high intimacy between H-ZSM-5 and CeO2 was obtained, while keeping the characteristic properties of each phase. The dehydration of 1,3-butanediol is used as a test reaction to explore the potential of these materials. A ratio between the selectivities of the desired product and intermediates, i.e. 1,3-butadiene (BD), 3-buten-2-ol (3B2OL), and 2-buten-1-ol (2B1OL) to the undesired product propylene (PP) was defined: (BD+3B2OL+2B1OL)/PP. Dispersing H-ZSM-5 zeolites on a CeO2 surface was the optimal synthesis route to enhance the 1,3-butadiene selectivity, and a (BD+3B2OL+2B1OL)/PP selectivity ratio was obtained (3.9) compared to its parent material (2.1).