Efficient solvent-free hydrogenation of ketones over flame-prepared bimetallic Pt-Pd/ZrO(2) catalysts

Solvent-Free Hydrogenation of Squalene Using Parts per Million Levels of Palladium Supported on Carbon Nanotubes: Shift from Batch Reactor to Continuous-Flow System

The transition from batch catalytic processes to continuous flow processes requires highly active and stable catalysts that still need to be developed. The preparation and characterization of catalysts where palladium single atoms and nanoparticles are simultaneously present on carbon nanotubes were recently reported by us. These catalysts are considerably more active than commercial or previously described catalysts for the liquid phase hydrogenation of terpenes. Herein is shown that under solvent-free conditions, squalene (SQE) could be converted into squalane (SQA,>98 %) using only 300 ppm of Pd in less than 1.4 h at 20 bar H₂ and 120 °C. Catalyst stability was assessed in a lab-scale flow reactor, and long-term experiments led to turnover number (TON) higher than 300000 without any detectable loss in the activity. Then, the implementation of this catalyst in a commercial intensified continuous-flow milli-reactor pilot was achieved. High purity SQA (>98 %) could be obtained by continuous hydrogenation of solvent-free SQE at 180 °C and 30 bar H₂ with a contact time below 15 min. A production capacity of 3.6 kg per day of SQA could be obtained with an effective reactor volume (V_R ) of 43.2 mL for this complex 3 phase reaction. Large-scale production can now be foreseen thanks to seamless scale-up provided by the continuous flow pilot supplier.

Alloying Effect of Silver on Zirconia Support Manipulated Palladium Catalyst for Methane Combustion

PdAg/ZrO2 alloy catalysts calcined at different temperatures were employed to elucidate the effect of support-metal interaction (SMI) on methane combustion. Combustion activity was depressed when the sample was calcined at an elevated temperature from 500 °C to 700 °C. However, calcination at 850 °C enhanced the beneficial SMI, which facilitated a more active phase for the oxidation reaction. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy experiments show that a special micro-domain structure at the interface is formed during the reduction pretreatment. H2-TPR and O2-TPD measurements illustrate that the active phase would undergo reconstruction upon redox cycles. The active phase manipulated by the support is more suitable for combustion reaction in the course of temperature altering.