Rhenium-promoted Pt/WO3/ZrO2: an efficient catalyst for aqueous glycerol hydrogenolysis under reduced H2 pressure†
Abstract
Rhenium, the non-noble metal with an acceptable price, was found to be a good additive that largely improved Pt/WO3/ZrO2 catalysis for glycerol hydrogenolysis. Compared with conventionally employed Pt/WO3/ZrO2, the Re-promoted catalyst led to almost quantitative glycerol conversion (>99% vs. 57.7%), giving useful C3 alcohols in excellent total selectivity (>95%) under reduced reaction pressure (2.5 MPa). The addition of Re led to such an impressive enhancement of the catalyst activity that even the reaction performed under atmospheric H2 pressure (0.1 MPa) afforded 96.8% glycerol conversion and a good selectivity of C3 compounds at 95.2%. Further XRD, Raman, BET, CO chemisorption, TEM, H2-TPR, XPS, NH3-TPD, 1H MAS NMR and Py-IR studies indicated that introduction of Re greatly improved the dispersion of Pt and catalyst acidity, and resulted in this largely enhanced catalyst activity.