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

VO_x/Zr–SBA-15 catalysts for selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde

Yadolah Ganjkhanlou, Zdeněk Tišler, José Miguel Hidalgo, Karel Frolich, Jiří Kotera, Pavel Čičmanec, and Roman Bulánek

University of Pardubice, Pardubice, Czech Republic

E-mail: yadolah.ganjkhanlou@upce.cz

Abstract: Effect of zirconium presence in the silica framework and content and speciation of vanadium surface oxo-complexes on the catalytic behavior of VO_x/Zr–SBA-15 catalysts in oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol was investigated. Experimental results bring evidence of successful incorporation of zirconium into ordered mesoporous silica framework with the preservation of ordered mesoporosity by hydrothermal template base synthesis method. The presence of zirconium in the SBA-15 framework increases reducibility of vanadium species and acidity of the catalysts. It is reflected in higher activity of vanadium species expressed as turn-over frequency (e.g., TOF of 20 h⁻¹ for 5%VO_x/Zr–SBA-15 sample in comparison with TOF of 12 h⁻¹ for 5%VO_x/SBA-15 sample) and also in significant decrease of selectivity to acetaldehyde (65% in comparison with 90% for mentioned samples) followed by increase in selectivity to ethylene (25% in comparison with 5%). This change in distribution of reaction products is related to stronger acidity character of surface OH groups and inhibition effect of formed water vapours on the oxidative dehydrogenation products (acetaldehyde). Catalytic data also reveal that oligomeric/polymeric tetrahedrally coordinated vanadium species exhibit higher activity in ethanol oxidative dehydrogenation than monomeric complexes. In addition, comparison of the catalytic performance of VO_x/Zr–SBA-15 catalysts with VO_x/SBA-15 catalysts showed that catalytic properties of VO_x/Zr–SBA-15 catalysts can be tuned by incorporation of controlled amount of zirconium into silica framework.

Keywords: Mesoporous Silica ; Oxidative dehydrogenation ; Ethanol ; Zirconia ; Acetaldehyde 

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-017-0336-z

Chemical Papers 72 (4) 937–946 (2018)