Obtaining of value added chemicals from catalityc dehydration of glycerol

Abstract

Five catalysts were synthesized by changing the molar proportions (15, 30, 50, 70, 85 %) of ceria/alumina by the sol-gel method with nonionic surfactant (Tergitol 15-S-9), after they were impregnated with 1% weight Pt for evaluation in the dehydration of glycerol, modifying the W/F ratio (9.09, 13.63 and 18.18 gcat*h/mol). Through X-ray powder diffraction and also by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the presence of ceria in the structure of alumina was identified. As the amount of cerium oxide increase, the BET surface area and the strength of the acid sites (TPD-NH3) increased as well, in turn, the pore size (mesoporous) remained constant. The catalytic tests were carried out in the gas phase in a continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor, within which the ceria showed a positive effect on the performance of the samples, improving the levels of conversion and selectivity towards acetol, probably due to the contribution of acid and redox sites of ceria. On the other hand, as the molar ratio of ceria decreased, the selectivity toward acrolein increased, possibly resulting in the presence of Brnsted sites. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.