Cu-9-Al-x-Mg-y catalysts for hydrogenation of ethyl acetate to ethanol

摘要

Cu-9-Al-x or Cu-9-Al-x-M-y (M = Mg, Ca, Ba or Sr) catalysts were prepared by a deposition-precipitation method, characterized by means of H-2-TPR, XRD and N-2 sorption, and applied for hydrogenation of ethyl acetate to ethanol in a fixed-bed reactor. The molar ratio of Cu/Al or Cu/Al/M and the reaction parameters were investigated thoroughly. As a result, the Cu-9-Al-0.5-Mg-1.5 catalyst with higher specific surface area, lower initial reduction temperature and better metal dispersion furnished 97.8% ethyl acetate conversion with 98% selectivity to ethanol under optimal reaction conditions. Moreover, the Cu-9-Al-0.5-Mg-1.5 catalyst also showed good lifetime and neither the activity nor selectivity decreased during 210 h test. Based on the characterization of the Cu-9-Al-0.5-Mg-1.5 catalyst, the optimal Cu+/Cu-0 proportion played a key role in determining the superior performance.