Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid Using Formic Acid as a Hydrogen Source over Ni/SiO2 Catalysts

Several Ni/SiO2 catalysts were developed for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid using formic acid as the hydrogen source. The catalysts were prepared by a variety of methods including impregnation, co‐precipitation, deposition‐precipitation, and citric acid assisted impregnation combustion. The mor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inChemical engineering & technology Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 719 - 726
Main Authors Varkolu, Mohan, Raju Burri, David, Rao Kamaraju, Seetha Rama, Jonnalagadda, Sreekantha B., van Zyl, Werner E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frankfurt Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.04.2017
Subjects
Acids
Biomass
Catalysts
Chemisorption
Citric acid
Combustion
Coprecipitation
Formic acid
Gas flow
Heterogeneous catalysis
Hydrogen storage
Hydrogenation
Impregnation
Levulinic acid
Nickel
Porosity
Rare gases
Roasting
Silicon dioxide
Sorption
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Several Ni/SiO2 catalysts were developed for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid using formic acid as the hydrogen source. The catalysts were prepared by a variety of methods including impregnation, co‐precipitation, deposition‐precipitation, and citric acid assisted impregnation combustion. The morphological properties were investigated by XRD, N2 sorption, HRTEM, and H2 pulse chemisorption measurements. XRD patterns of the calcined material revealed the presence of NiO particles, while calcination in an inert atmosphere produced Ni particles through in situ reduction of NiO. The reaction proceeded without external H2 flow using formic acid as hydrogen source. The Ni/SiO2 catalyst prepared by the citric acid assisted method and calcined in inert gas flow was the most efficient for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid without external H2 flow. The high catalytic performance was attributed to the high dispersion of cheap and earth‐abundant Ni nanoparticles and optimal porosity. Biomass‐derived platform chemicals offer a potential carbon‐neutral source of useful chemicals and fuels. Several Ni/SiO2 catalysts were prepared by a variety of methods and applied for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid using formic acid as hydrogen source. The preparation method was shown to play a key role in determining the catalytic activity.
ISSN:0930-7516
1521-4125
DOI:10.1002/ceat.201600429