Ethanol to Acetaldehyde Conversion under Thermal and Microwave Heating of ZnO-CuO-SiO2 Modified with WC Nanoparticles

The nonoxidative conversion of ethanol to acetaldehyde under thermal and microwave heating was studied on mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO2 catalysts modified with additives of tungsten carbide nanoparticles. The results revealed that the WC-modified catalyst exhibited superior activity and selectivity under microwave heating conditions. It is assumed that when microwave heating is used, hot zones can appear at the contact points of WC nanoparticles and active centers of the mixed oxide ZnO-CuO-SiO2 catalyst, which intensively absorb microwave energy, allowing the more efficient formation of acetaldehyde at moderate temperatures. Thermodynamic calculations of equilibrium concentrations of reagents and products allowed us to identify the optimal conditions for effective acetaldehyde production. The initial catalyst and the catalyst prepared by the coprecipitation of the oxides with the addition of WC were characterized by physicochemical methods (TPR-H2, XRD, DRIFTS of adsorbed CO). The active centers of the oxide catalyst can be Cu+ cations.

Plasma enhanced anti-coking performance of Pd/CeO2 catalysts for conversion of methane

The direct nonoxidative conversion of methane (CH4) to valuable chemicals has attracted increasing interests. However, the carbon deposition will inevitably occur due to CH4 decomposition at high temperature. Here, we...

Recent advances in heterogeneous catalysis for the nonoxidative conversion of methane

The direct conversion of methane to high-value chemicals is an attractive process that efficiently uses abundant natural/shale gas to provide an energy supply.