TY - JOUR
T1 - Solvent Additive-Induced Deactivation of the Cu-ZnO(Al2O3)-Catalyzed γ-Butyrolactone Hydrogenolysis
T2 - A Rare Deactivation Process
AU - Solsona, Vanessa
AU - Morales-De La Rosa, Silvia
AU - De Luca, Oreste
AU - Jansma, Harrie
AU - Van Der Linden, Bart
AU - Rudolf, Petra
AU - Campos-Martín, José M.
AU - Borges, María Emma
AU - Melián-Cabrera, Ignacio
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - This work reports initial results on the effect of low concentrations (ppm level) of a stabilizing agent (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, BHT) present in an off-the-shelf solvent on the catalyst performance for the hydrogenolysis of γ-butyrolactone over Cu-ZnO-based catalysts. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) was employed as an alternative solvent in the hydrogenolysis of γ-butyrolactone. It was found that the Cu-ZnO catalyst performance using a reference solvent (1,4-dioxane) was good, meaning that the equilibrium conversion was achieved in 240 min, while a zero conversion was found when employing tetrahydrofuran. The deactivation was studied in more detail, arriving at the preliminary conclusion that one phenomenon seems to play a role: the poisoning effect of a solvent additive present at the ppm level (BHT) that appears to inhibit the reaction completely over a Cu-ZnO catalyst. The BHT effect was also visible over a commercial Cu-ZnO-MgO-Al2O3 catalyst but less severe than that over the Cu-ZnO catalyst. Hence, the commercial catalyst is more tolerant to the solvent additive, probably due to the higher surface area. The study illustrates the importance of solvent choice and purification for applications such as three-phase-catalyzed reactions to achieve optimal performance.
AB - This work reports initial results on the effect of low concentrations (ppm level) of a stabilizing agent (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, BHT) present in an off-the-shelf solvent on the catalyst performance for the hydrogenolysis of γ-butyrolactone over Cu-ZnO-based catalysts. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) was employed as an alternative solvent in the hydrogenolysis of γ-butyrolactone. It was found that the Cu-ZnO catalyst performance using a reference solvent (1,4-dioxane) was good, meaning that the equilibrium conversion was achieved in 240 min, while a zero conversion was found when employing tetrahydrofuran. The deactivation was studied in more detail, arriving at the preliminary conclusion that one phenomenon seems to play a role: the poisoning effect of a solvent additive present at the ppm level (BHT) that appears to inhibit the reaction completely over a Cu-ZnO catalyst. The BHT effect was also visible over a commercial Cu-ZnO-MgO-Al2O3 catalyst but less severe than that over the Cu-ZnO catalyst. Hence, the commercial catalyst is more tolerant to the solvent additive, probably due to the higher surface area. The study illustrates the importance of solvent choice and purification for applications such as three-phase-catalyzed reactions to achieve optimal performance.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118701519&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c04080
DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c04080
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85118701519
SN - 0888-5885
VL - 60
SP - 15999
EP - 16010
JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
IS - 44
ER -