Highly active and selective CoCu/ZnO catalysts prepared by mild oxalic acid co-precipitation method in dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation

•Co based CoCu/ZnO catalysts were prepared by oxalic acid co-precipitation method.•The catalysts have highly dispersed Co species.•The calcination temperature shows a significant effect on the reactivity.•The catalyst is highly active and selective in dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation.

Novel CoCu/ZnO catalysts prepared by oxalic acid co-precipitation method have been systematically characterized focusing on the effect of calcination temperature on the structural evolution of the catalysts and the catalytic performance in dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation. The calcination temperature plays an important role in determining the physicochemical features of cobalt species and dispersion of copper species in the CoCu/ZnO catalysts. 100% dimethyl oxalate conversion and 93% selectivity to ethylene glycol could be obtained over the CoCu/ZnO catalyst calcined at 450 °C. High dispersion of Co species interacting with crystalline Cu contributed to the excellent catalytic performance.

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