Zn(II)–Cr(III) mixed oxide as efficient bifunctional catalyst for dehydroisomerisation of α-pinene to p-cymene

Zn(II)–Cr(III) mixed oxide possessing acid and dehydrogenation functions is an efficient, noble-metal-free catalyst for the one-step dehydroisomerisation of α-pinene to p-cymene. This reaction is a good example of the use of heterogeneous multifunctional catalysis for the conversion of renewable feedstock into value-added chemicals. It involves acid-catalysed α-pinene isomerisation followed by dehydrogenation of p-cymene precursor(s). The reaction is carried out over a fixed catalyst bed in the gas phase at 350 °C. Amongst Zn–Cr oxides studied (Zn/Cr = 20:1–1:30), the preferred catalyst is Zn–Cr (1:1) oxide which produces p-cymene with a 78% yield at 100% α-pinene conversion. This catalyst shows stable performance for over 30 h without co-feeding hydrogen to the reactor.

Graphical abstractZn(II)–Cr(III) mixed oxide possessing acid and dehydrogenation functions catalyses one-step dehydroisomerisation of α-pinene to yield 78% of p-cymene in the gas phase process. The catalyst shows stable performance for over 30 h without co-feeding hydrogen.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide