Direct Conversion of Bio-ethanol to Isobutene on Nanosized Zn x Zr y O z Mixed Oxides with Balanced Acid–Base Sites

We report the design and synthesis of nanosized Zn x Zr y O z mixed oxides for direct and high-yield conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene (∼83%). ZnO is addded to ZrO2 to selectively passivate zirconia’s strong Lewis acidic sites and weaken Brönsted acidic sites, while simultaneously introducing...

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Published inJournal of the American Chemical Society Vol. 133; no. 29; pp. 11096 - 11099
Main Authors Sun, Junming, Zhu, Kake, Gao, Feng, Wang, Chongmin, Liu, Jun, Peden, Charles H. F, Wang, Yong
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published American Chemical Society 27.07.2011
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Summary:We report the design and synthesis of nanosized Zn x Zr y O z mixed oxides for direct and high-yield conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene (∼83%). ZnO is addded to ZrO2 to selectively passivate zirconia’s strong Lewis acidic sites and weaken Brönsted acidic sites, while simultaneously introducing basicity. As a result, the undesired reactions of bio-ethanol dehydration and acetone polymerization/coking are suppressed. Instead, a surface basic site-catalyzed ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde to acetone conversion via a complex pathway including aldol-condensation/dehydrogenation, and a Brönsted acidic site-catalyzed acetone-to-isobutene reaction pathway dominates on the nanosized Zn x Zr y O z mixed oxide catalyst, leading to a highly selective process for direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene.
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/ja204235v