Liquid phase hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde over Au/CeO2 catalysts

BETIANA CAMPO; GERARDO F. SANTORI; CORINNE PETIT; MARA VOLPE

APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL

Elsevier

Año: 2009

0926-860X

Three Au/CeO2 catalysts, with different specific surface area (80, 150 and 240 m2/g) were tested for the hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde in liquid phase. Reactions were carried out with molecular hydrogen as the reductant, in a Batch reactor using isopropanol as the solvent, at 80ºC and 1 MPa. The high surface area catalyst (Au/CeO2, 240 m2/g) showed a selectivity towards crotyl alcohol of 29%. This value was much lower than the one previously obtained for the same sample under gas phase conditions (73%, B. Campo, C. Petit, M. Volpe, J. Catal. 242 (2006) 162 ). Under liquid phase the promotional effect of high surface area ceria is lost. The low and middle surface area samples (80 and 150 m2/g respectively) showed meager selectivity to carbonyl hydrogenation due to both the low promotional effect of the support and the relatively large size of gold particles . For the three catalysts the formation of propanol was observed, which decreases catalysts selectivity to crotyl alcohol.