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.