Structure-Activity Relationships of Pt-WOx/Al2O3 Prepared with Different W Contents and Pretreatment Conditions for Glycerol Conversion to 1,3-Propanediol

• Published in: Topics in catalysis Vol. 66; no. 1-4; pp. 205 - 222
• Main Authors: Dolsiririttigul, Napaphut, Numpilai, Thanapha, Wattanakit, Chularat, Seubsai, Anusorn, Faungnawakij, Kajornsak, Cheng, Chin Kui, Vo, Dai-Viet N., Nijpanich, Supinya, Chanlek, Narong, Witoon, Thongthai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Ammonia; Biodiesel fuels; Catalysis; Catalysts; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemisorption; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Conversion; Glycerol; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Original Paper; Pharmacy; Physical Chemistry; Pretreatment; Roasting; Selectivity; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Pretreatment conditions; catalyst; Glycerol conversion; W loading; Al; 1,3-Propanediol; Pt-WO; O
• ISSN: 1022-5528; 1572-9028
• DOI: 10.1007/s11244-022-01753-9

Turning waste glycerol into a fundamental chemical used in the petrochemical industry offers an opportunity to reduce not only waste from biodiesel production but also the consumption of petroleum-based chemicals. In the present work, glycerol was converted to 1,3-propanediol over Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 catalysts, while focusing on the influence of W loading contents (10–20 wt.%) and catalyst pretreatment conditions, specifically the calcination temperatures of WO x /Al 2 O 3 (700–900 °C), calcination temperatures of Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 (350–450 °C) and reduction temperatures of Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 (300–400 °C). The characteristics of the catalysts were identified by applying N 2 -sorption, XRD, Raman, CO pulse chemisorption, NH 3 -TPD, H 2 -TPR, H 2 -TPD, SEM and TEM-EDS and XPS. The W loading contents and pretreatment conditions strongly affected the activity and products selectivity. The W content and calcination temperature of WO x /Al 2 O 3 at 15 wt.% and 800 °C, respectively, were evaluated as the most suitable in providing optimum W-O-W clusters to generate H δ+ which was a key parameter for the generation of 1,3-propanediol. The calcination and reduction temperatures of Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 at 400 °C and 350 °C, respectively, were mandatory to sufficiently convert PtCl 2 to Pt 3 O 4 and Pt 3 O 4 to metallic Pt, respectively. The optimized Pt-WO x /Al 2 O 3 catalyst achieved a high glycerol conversion (44.7%) with high selectivity toward 1,3-propanediol (45.1%) under a reaction temperature and pressure of 220 °C and 60 bar, respectively.