The influence of the nature of the metal on the performance of cerium oxide supported catalysts in the partial oxidation of ethanol

Co/CeO2 and Pt/CeO2 catalysts show mainly ethoxy species at room temperature whereas acetate species is mainly formed on the Pd/CeO2 catalyst. The ethoxy species can undergo further dehydrogenation and desorb as acetaldehyde. This effect is more significant with the Co/CeO2 catalyst and could explain the higher selectivity to acetaldehyde observed on supported Co and Pt catalysts.