ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Efficient dehydrogenation of dodecanol to dodecanal in a continuous fixed bed reactor over supported Cu catalyst

Shanshan Cao, Zhong Wu, Weiyou Zhou, Zhonghua Sun, Junfeng Qian, Mingyang He, and Qun Chen

Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, Changzhou University, Changzhou, China

E-mail: zhouwy426@126.com

Received: 2 December 2023  Accepted: 17 January 2025

Abstract:

The anaerobic dehydrogenation of dodecanol to dodecanal has been investigated in a continuous fixed bed reactor over a series of Cu-based catalysts with different supports (SiO₂, Al₂O₃, ZnO and MgO). These catalysts have been systematically characterized by XRD, H₂-TPR, NH₃-TPD, CO₂-TPD, XPS and N₂ adsorption/desorption measurements. And the results indicate that the support has significant effect on the physicochemical properties of the catalysts and their catalytic performances, and Cu/SiO₂ exhibited the highest catalytic activity in the dehydrogenation. Synergistic effect between Cu⁺ and Cu⁰ species has been observed, and proper ratio of Cu⁺/Cu⁰ is believed to be able to improve the catalytic performance of Cu-based catalysts. The surface acidity and basicity demonstrate significant effect on the distribution of the products and the selectivity to aldehyde. Under the optimized conditions, an 82.3% conversion of dodecanol with an excellent 98.9% selectivity toward dodecanal could be obtained. Moreover, the catalytic performance of Cu/SiO₂ kept almost steady in 200 h, indicating its good stability and application potential in the dehydrogenation process.

Keywords: Dodecanol dehydrogenation; Dodecanal; Copper; Support; Synergistic effect

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-03903-1

Chemical Papers 79 (3) 1993–2004 (2025)