Selective production of 1,2-propanediol by hydrogenolysis of glycerol over bimetallic Ru–Cu nanoparticles supported on TiO2

• Bimetallic Ru–Cu/TiO2 catalysts were investigated in the hydrogenolysis of glycerol.
• The addition of Cu to Ru/TiO2 enhanced the selectivity toward 1,2-PDO.
• Cu atoms presumably diluted large Ru ensembles that facilitated CC bond cleavage.
• Among the bimetallic catalysts, 2.5Ru–2.5Cu/TiO2 exhibited the best performance.

A series of TiO2 supported Ru–Cu bimetallic catalysts was investigated for the hydrogenolysis of glycerol. The catalysts were characterized by H2 chemisorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM/EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The addition of copper led to an increase in the selectivity to 1,2-propanediol. The highest activity and selectivity was observed for a 1:1 Cu/Ru mass ratio. The results were explained in terms of the interaction between Ru and Cu. Copper diluted large Ru ensembles that are responsible for CC bond cleavage leading to ethylene glycol production instead of the desired 1,2-propanediol. The presence of Cu also inhibited the deactivation exhibited by monometallic Ru. Among all the catalysts, the 2.5Ru–2.5Cu/TiO2 catalyst exhibited the best performance in the hydrogenolysis of glycerol.

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