Design of novel wet proofed CuO/Al2O3 catalysts for aqueous phenol oxidation

PAOLA MASSA; FERNANDO IVORRA; PATRICIA HAURE; ROSA FENOGLIO

Seul

Congreso; 14th Internacional Congress on Catalysis ICC2008; 2008

Wet proofed catalysts were prepared by successive immersion steps of conventional 37% CuO/Al2O3 samples in a PTFE fibres suspension. Conventional and hydrophobic catalysts were tested for the oxidation of phenol solutions (5g/L), at 140ºC and 7 atm of O2, in a trickle bed reactor. For the conventional catalyst, phenol conversion decreased with reaction time. However, for the wet proofed catalysts, phenol conversion levels remained almost constant with usage. The hydrophobic layer improved catalyst stability and minimized the solubilization of Cu2+.