Dehydration of 2,3-butanediol into 3-buten-2-ol catalyzed by ZrO2

Vapor-phase catalytic dehydration of 2,3-butanediol was investigated over metal oxides such as CeO2, La2O3, Yb2O3, ZrO2, Al2O3, TiO2, ZnO, Fe2O3, NiO, and Cr2O3. In the dehydration of 2,3-butanediol, 3-buten-2-ol was preferentially produced over monoclinic ZrO2 along with major by-products such as butanone and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone. Over ZrO2 calcined at 900 °C, 3-buten-2-ol was produced with a maximum selectivity of 59.0% at 300 °C without producing 1,3-butadiene.