Gas-Phase Conversion of Acetone to Methyl Isobutyl Ketone over Bifunctional Metal/Carbon Catalysts. 2. Examination of the Hydrogenation Potential of Different Metals

Production of Butane from Methyl Ethyl Ketone over Pt/Al2O3

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) was catalytically converted to butane directly in one step over platinum (Pt) supported on alumina (Al2O3). The reaction was performed in the gas phase in a fixed bed reactor. Conversion of MEK to butane was achieved by hydrogenation of MEK to 2-butanol, dehydration of 2-butanol to butene, and further hydrogenation of butene to butane. The results showed that butane can be produced with selectivity reaching 95% depending on the operating conditions. The highest selectivity for butane was obtained at 220 °C and a H2/MEK molar ratio of 15. Copyright © 2023 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). 

Copper Supported on Ceria Mesocellular Foam Silica as an Effective Catalyst for Reductive Condensation of Acetone to Methyl Isobutyl Ketone

Copper-containing materials based on Ce- and Ca-Nb-mesocellular foam (MCF) silica supports are prepared, characterized and applied as catalysts for gas-phase reductive condensation of acetone to produce methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK). The properties of the materials, the interaction of metal species, and their role in the catalytic process are examined by nitrogen physisorption, XRD, XPS, CO₂ -TPD, H₂ -TPR, and chemisorption of NO and pyridine combined with FTIR spectroscopy. A synergistic interaction of Cu²⁺ , Cu⁰ , and CeO₂ species incorporated in the MCF support enable the Cu/Ce-MCF catalyst to yield 34 % of acetone conversion with over 90 % MIBK selectivity at 250 °C. Moreover, this high catalyst selectivity is maintained during operation for 24 h despite a decline in catalyst activity. The catalytic performance is superior to that of hydroxyapatite-supported Cu and similar previously reported Pd-containing catalysts.

An active and stable multifunctional catalyst with defective UiO-66 as a support for Pd over the continuous catalytic conversion of acetone and hydrogen

The one-pot synthesis of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) and methyl isobutyl methanol (MIBC) from acetone and hydrogen is a typical cascade reaction comprised of aldol condensation-dehydration-hydrogenation. Pd loss and aggregation during long term operation are typical problems in industrial application. In this paper, an active and stable catalyst was achieved with defective UiO-66 as a support for Pd, which was synthesized with the ratio 15 : 1 of ZrOCl2·8H2O to ZrCl4 as Zr-precursors. The resultant Pd catalyst remained active for at least 1000 h with a MIBK + MIBC selectivity of 84.87-93.09% and acetone conversion of 45.26-53.22% in a continuous trickle-bed reactor. Besides the increased Brønsted acid amount generated by the defect sites was favorable for the activity, the cavity confinement in the UiO-66 (R = 15 : 1) structure also efficiently prevented Pd loss and aggregation during the long term run. The contrast of the characterization of the fresh and used Pd/UiO-66 (R = 15 : 1) indicated that the deactivation of the catalyst was attributed to carbonaceous accumulation on the catalyst surface, which could be easily regenerated by calcination. This work supplied a new alternative for the design and utilization of industrial catalysts for MIBK and MIBC synthesis.