Metal-organic framework derived Cu/ZnO catalysts for continuous hydrogenolysis of glycerol

•ZnO decorated Cu particles were synthesized via Cu(Zn)-HKUST-1 precursors.•ZnO decorated Cu catalyst was highly active and stable for hydrogenolysis of glycerol.•The interfacial area between Cu and ZnO played a crucial role on the performance of Cu/ZnO.

Cu/ZnO catalysts are widely used in industrial production, environmental protection and biorefinery, finding a new and efficient method for the controlled synthesis of Cu/ZnO hybrid is of great importance. In this work, a novel Cu/ZnO catalyst with nano sized ZnO particles dotted on Cu was synthesized via the calcination and reduction of Cu(Zn)-HKUST-1 precursor. The transformation process from Cu(Zn)-HKUST-1 to Cu/ZnO was characterized by TG-DSC, XRD, XPS and TEM. And the performance of final Cu/ZnO catalysts for continuous hydrogenolysis of glycerol was tested in a fixed-bed reactor. It was found that Cu1.1/ZnO catalyst derived from Cu1.1Zn1.9(BTC)2·9.4(H2O) was more active and stable than Cu/ZnO that prepared via solvent-free grinding and co-precipitation. Characterizations results also inferred that the interface between Cu and ZnO played a crucial role on its catalytic performance, and ZnO dotted Cu was more stable than ZnO plate supported Cu particles.

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