Synthesis of methyl glycolate via low‐temperature hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over an efficient and stable Ru/activated carbon catalyst

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Syngas to dimethyl oxalate (DMO) followed by hydrogenation to methyl glycolate (MG) is considered to be an environmentally friendly and economical route. However, the catalyst with super performance and low cost for this route is still challenging. In this work, a simple and low-lost fabrication method was developed to prepare a Ru/activated carbon (AC) catalyst and was used for DMO hydrogenation to MG under mild reaction conditions. RESULTS: The Ru/AC catalyst showed the best performance in the low-temperature hydrogenation of DMO to MG compared to Ru/SiO 2 and Ru/Al 2 O 3 . A series of characterization results showed that the super catalytic properties of Ru/AC catalyst might be attributed to the higher dispersion of Ru on support and its smallest nanoparticles size, weak surface acidity and electrondeficient state of Ru species. The key parameters such as Ru loading, temperature, weight hourly space velocity, and pressure, were comprehensively investigated. MG selectivity of 94.6% with DMO conversion of 97.2% were obtained over the 4.0 Ru/AC catalyst at 90 °C. The 4.0Ru/AC catalyst showed excellent stability and there was no obvious deactivation after 1032 h test.CONCLUSIONS: The Ru/AC catalyst is effective for the DMO hydrogenation to MG under mild conditions and has great promise for industrial applications because of its low cost, simple preparation, high efficiency, and long life.

Rational design of hydroxyapatite/graphite-supported bimetallic Cu–M (M = Cu, Fe, Co, Ni) catalysts for enhancing the partial hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to methyl glycolate

“…, Ru, Ag and Au) are essential to achieve high catalytic activity. 3–7,41–46 However, the developed noble metal-free catalyst in our study could be promising and a relatively cheap material for achieving high MG selectivity and stability in the DMO hydrogenation reaction.…”

Single-factor analysis of Ni–B–AC-catalyzed β-pinene hydrogenation based on hierarchical analysis

“…Here, heterogeneous catalysts offer advantages over single metals in terms of their postuse recycling and reuse. 8,9 Other than the existing published catalysts, a latent avenue to boost the selectivity and conversion of the process is to bring in an efficient and stable catalyst carrier, [10][11][12][13] and again, activated carbon-loaded rhodium, 14,15 platinum, 16,17 and rubidium 18,19 are among the more studied catalysts, showing equally ne results. Nevertheless, hydrogenation catalysts, such as Ni-B, can affect the process efficiency.…”