Hydrogenation of 3-hydroxypropanal to 1,3-propanediol over a Cu–V/Ni/SiO2 catalyst

Abstract

A Ni-based catalyst modified with copper and vanadium (5Cu–20V/30Ni/SiO₂) was synthesized and employed in the hydrogenation of 3-hydroxypropanal (3-HPA) to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO). Catalysts were systematically characterized via XRD, TEM, HRTEM, SAED, H₂-TPD, N₂ physisorption, H₂-TPR, and XPS. It was indicated that the addition of Cu and V not only promoted the reduction of Ni²⁺ species and the generation of active hydrogen species, but also increased the dispersion of Ni species and the interaction between Ni particles and SiO₂. The catalytic performance evaluation showed that the (5Cu–20V/30Ni/SiO₂) could provide the largest yield of 1,3-PDO (above 76.8%) and highest TOF (4.32 × 10³ s⁻¹). The structure–activity relationship was clarified according to the characterization results. The optimized reaction conditions over the 5Cu–20V/30Ni/SiO₂ catalyst were obtained as the reaction temperature of 80 °C, a H₂ pressure of 2.0 MPa (H₂), and an LHSV of 0.4 h⁻¹. The employment of non-noble metals, the relatively low pressure of H₂, and the relatively high yield of 1,3-PDO make 5Cu–20V/30Ni/SiO₂ an efficient and economic catalyst that may have potential applications in industry.