Hydrogenolysis of glycerol over HY zeolite supported Ru catalysts

Abstract An enhanced active and selective catalyst consisting of ruthenium supported on dealuminated HY zeolite has been prepared by a wet impregnation method. It was found that BET surface area of Ru/HY catalysts significantly increases after HCl treatment. This treatment also increases the concentration of strong acid sites in the catalyst. The hydrogenolysis of glycerol over 5 wt% Ru/HY catalyst was investigated at 190–220 °C, an initial H 2 pressure of 3–6 MPa, and in 20 wt% glycerol aqueous solution. The results indicate that HCl treated Ru/HY catalyst shows higher activity compared with the untreated Ru/HY catalyst, and that the glycerol hydrogenolysis efficiency is influenced by the porosity and acidity of the support. A selectivity to 1,2-PDO of 81.3% at a glycerol conversion of 60.1% under 3 MPa H 2 pressure and 220 °C for 10 h was achieved over the modified Ru/HY catalyst with a 1.0 mol/L HCl treatment. It has also been shown that a longer reaction time, a higher temperature and a higher H 2 pressure have the positive effects on the glycerol hydrogenolysis efficiency of the enhanced Ru/HY.