| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65147 | Journal of Molecular Catalysis A: Chemical | 2014 | 7 Pages |
•Bimetallic Cu/Fe catalysts can hydrogenate ethyl stearate to stearyl alcohol.•The alcohol can selectively be produced in a yield of 97% at 230 °C in 4 h.•Synergistic effects of Cu/Cu2O and Fe3O4 contribute to high catalytic performance.•Lewis acid sites also contribute to the activation of CO group.
Bimetallic and monometallic catalysts including Cu and/or Fe species were prepared by a co-precipitation method and their catalytic performance was tested for the selective hydrogenation of ethyl stearate to stearyl alcohol. The bimetallic catalysts were observed to be even more active for this selective hydrogenation compared to the monometallic catalysts and their physical mixtures. With a bimetallic catalyst of Cu/Fe (4/1 in mole ratio) reduced at 200 °C, a selectivity to the alcohol reached to above 99% at a conversion of 97% in reaction for 4 h at 230 °C, 3.0 MPa. Effects of composition and reduction temperature on the catalytic performance were studied and the properties of catalysts prepared under different conditions were examined by XRD, TPR, N2 physisorption, and SEM. The relationship of the performance with the properties of the catalysts was discussed, along with the conditions under which synergistic effects of Cu and Fe species appeared and caused the enhancement of the catalytic performance.
Graphical abstractThe synergistic effects of Cu+/Cu0 and Fe3O4 contributed to the high yield (>95%) of fatty alcohol in the selective hydrogenation of fatty ester over Cu/Fe catalysts.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (120 K)Download as PowerPoint slide
