Influence of carbon based supports on selectivity behavior of diols and propanol in Ru catalyzed glycerol hydrogenolysis

• Published in: Applied catalysis. B, Environmental Vol. 204; pp. 134 - 146
• Main Authors: Mane, Rasika, Patil, Shivanand, Shirai, Masayuki, Rayalu, Sadhana, Rode, Chandrashekhar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 05.05.2017; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: 1,3-Propanediol; Activated carbon; Carbon; Case depth; Diols; Ethanol; Glycerol; Glycerol hydrogenolysis; Graphite; Graphite supports; Hydrogenolysis; Particle size; Particle size distribution; Propanediols; Propanol; Selectivity; Structural effects; Glycerol hydrogenolysis; Structural effects; Graphite supports; Propanediols; Propanol
• ISSN: 0926-3373; 1873-3883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.11.032

[Display omitted] •AC and graphite supports greatly affect the reducibility and particle size of Ru.•Higher Ru availability on the graphite surface forms deep hydrogenolysis products.•Highest conversion for Ru/AC while Ru/graphite varied as KS6> HSAG100> KS150.•Ru on graphite supports was in different oxide forms.•Phoshotungstic acid formed 1,3-propadiol and enhanced 1-propanol selectivity. Activated carbon (AC) and three graphite materials were studied as supports for Ru catalyzed glycerol hydrogenolysis to propanediols and 1-propanol. Structural characteristics of AC and graphite materials were found to greatly affect the reducibility and particle size of supported Ru and hence, the activity and product distribution in glycerol hydrogenolysis. XRD of graphite materials showed distinctly (002) plane having highly organized layered structure and the peak intensity decreased in the order of Ru/KS150>Ru/HSAG100>Ru/KS6 due to decrease in the graphite sheet thickness. In Raman, the intense D band in HSAG100 compared to that in KS6 and KS150 samples indicated its highly amorphous nature or mixed carbon hybridization. Glycerol conversion for Ru on AC was higher than that on graphite and among different graphites, it showed a descending activity order of Ru/KS6>Ru/HSAG100>Ru/KS150. The product distribution for AC and HSAG100 supported Ru was similar, giving 1-propanol (45%) alongwith 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) (37%) and 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) (9–11%). For graphite supports, availability of Ru although bigger in size (4–5nm), would be higher on the surface than in case of AC which formed deep hydrogenolysis products like 1-, 2- propanol, ethanol etc.