The Effect of Alkali Promoters on Cu-Na-ZSM-5 Catalysts in the Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol

Abstract

The oxidation activities of alkali-added Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolites in the gas-phase catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol were studied. The main products were benzaldehyde and carbon oxides (carbon dioxide + carbon monoxide). The partial oxidation activity was found to markedly increase when an alkali-metal-added Cu-Na-ZSM-5 was used, in comparison with that obtained when the Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolite itself was used. On the other hand, the increase in yield of deep oxidation products (CO2 + CO) catalyzed by the alkali-added Cu-Na-ZSM-5 was rather low. The alkali added to the Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolite was thus found to selectively promote catalytic activity for the partial oxidation of benzyl alcohol. Certain types of alkali salts were used as the additive with the results that Na+, K+, and Rb+, but not Li+, had similar behavior for benzyl alcohol oxidation. An alkali oxide such as Na2O, rather than the alkali salt itself, was suggested to substantially function as an active promoter for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol as judged from the pretreatment condition of the alkali-added Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolite and its similar catalytic activity in the oxidation of alkali salts with the same alkali cation but different counteranions. The added alkali was found to act more effectively as a promoter for oxidation when alkali and Cu ions were accessible to each other; therefore the alkali was suggested to interact directly with the Cu ion to promote the oxidation of benzyl alcohol, rather than this promotion being a separate function of the alkali itself. One of the roles of the alkali added to the Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolite was promoting the dissociation of the oxygen molecule, as evidenced by the results of the exchange reaction of the oxygen molecule. The alkali was also suggested to neutralize the acid sites in the Cu-Na-ZSM-5 zeolite and prevent its deactivation by retarding the formation of coke-like materials on the zeolite.