Enhancing glycerol hydrogenolysis to n-propanol: Key role of Lewis acid in HZSM-5 supported Cu catalyst

Glycerol hydrogenolysis to n-propanol (1-PO) represents an approach to realize synthesizing sustainable fuels from biodiesel byproduct. However, it suffers from harsh reaction conditions and noble catalysts. Herein, a simple Cu20/HZSM-5(Si/Al = 120) was fabricated, demonstrating high efficiency under mild conditions for non-noble metal catalysts, achieving a 71.08 % yield of 1-PO and 80.73 % mono-alcohols. The catalyst, characterized by a high density of Lewis acid sites from both CuO and HZSM-5 and a favorable Cu2+/Cu0/1+ ratio, significantly enhances the hydrogenolysis process. Furthermore, it demonstrated superior selectivity for the removal of the secondary -OH group from 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO), which is crucial for high yields of 1-PO. This Cu20/HZ-5(120) catalyst showed significant potential for the efficient and selective conversion of glycerol to 1-PO, presenting a promising approach for the sustainable production of value-added chemicals from glycerol.

Catalytic Ozonation of Low Concentration Toluene over MnFeOx-USY Catalyst: Effects of Interactions between Catalytic Components and Introduction of Gas Phase NOx

A series of Mn and Fe metal oxide catalysts loaded onto USY, as well as single metal oxides, were prepared and characterized. The effects of interactions between the catalytic components and the introduction of gas phase NO on the catalytic ozonation of toluene were investigated. Characterization showed that there existed strong interactions between MnOx, FeOx, and USY, which enhanced the content of oxygen vacancies and acid sites of the catalysts and thus boosted the generation of reactive oxygen species and the adsorption of toluene. The MnFeOx-USY catalyst with MnOx and FeOx dimetallic oxides exhibited the most excellent performance of catalytic ozonation of toluene. On the other hand, the presence of NOx in reaction gas mixtures significantly promoted both toluene conversion and mineralization, which was attributed to the formation of nitrate species on the catalysts surface and thus the increase of both acid sites and toluene oxidation sites. Meanwhile, the reaction mechanism between O3 and C7H8 was modified in which the strong interactions between MnOx, FeOx, and USY accelerated the reaction progress based on the L-H route. In addition, the formation of the surface nitrate species not only promoted reaction progress following the L-H route but also resulted in the occurrence of the reaction via the E-R route.

Enhanced Adsorption of Trace Ethylene on Ag/NZ5 Modified with Ammonia: Hierarchical Structure and Metal Dispersion Effects

Trace ethylene poses a significant challenge during the storage and transportation of agricultural products, causing over-ripening, reducing shelf life, and leading to food waste. Zeolite-supported silver adsorbents show promise for efficiently removing trace ethylene. Herein, hierarchical Ag/NZ5(X) adsorbents were prepared via different ammonia modifications, which featured enhanced ethylene adsorption ability. Ag/NZ5(2.5) exhibited the largest capacity and achieved near-complete removal at room temperature with prolonged efficacy. Characterization results indicated that the ammonia modification led to the formation of a hierarchical structure in the zeolite framework, reducing diffusion resistance and increasing the accessibility of the active sites. Additionally, desilication effects increased the defectiveness, generating a stronger metal-support interaction and resulting in a higher metal dispersion rate. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of efficient adsorbents for removing trace ethylene, thereby reducing food waste and extending the shelf life of agricultural products.

Uncovering the centrality of mono-dentate SO32-/SO42- modifiers grafted on a metal vanadate in accelerating wet NOX reduction and poison pyrolysis

NOX rarely binds with labile oxygens of catalytic solids, whose Lewis acidic (LA) species possess higher binding strengths with NH3 (ENH3) and H2O than Brönsted acidic counterparts (BA--H+; -OH), oftentimes leading to elevate energy barrier (EBARRIER) and weaken H2O tolerance, respectively. These limit NH3-assisted wet NOX reduction via Langmuir-Hinshelwood-type or Eley-Rideal (ER)-type model on LA species, while leaving ER-type analogue on BA--H+ species proper to reduce wet NOX. Given hard-to-regulate strength/amount of -OH species and occasional association between ENH3 and EBARRIER, Ni1V2O6 (Ni1) was rationally chosen as a platform to isolate mono-dentate SO32-/SO42- species for use as BA--H+ bonds via protonation to increase collision frequency (k'APP,0) alongside with disclosure of advantages of SO32-/SO42--functionalized Ni1V2O6 (Ni1-S) over Ni1 in reducing wet NOX. Ni1-S outperformed Ni1 in achieving a larger BA--H+ quantity (k'APP,0↑), increasing H2O tolerance, and elevating oxygen mobility, thus promoting NOX reduction activity/consequences under SO2-excluding gases. V2O5-WO3 composite simulating a commercial catalyst could isolate mono-dentate SO32-/SO42- species and served as a control (V2O5-WO3-S) for comparison. Ni1-S was superior to V2O5-WO3-S in evading ammonium (bi-)sulfate (AS/ABS) poison accumulation and expediting AS/ABS pyrolysis efficiency, thereby improving AS/ABS resistance under SO2-including gases, while enhancing resistance against hydro-thermal aging.