Modulation of the acidity of a vermiculite and its potential use as a catalytic support

The modulation and characterization of the acidity of a vermiculite were carried out, which was modified by delamination by means of hydrothermal and acid treatments with the subsequent incorporation of AlZr and AlCe species to modulate the acidity. The effect of these species was evaluated regarding the structural (XRD, XPS and IR), textural (N2 sortometry) and acidity properties (NH3-TPD, NH3-DRIFTS and CO adsorption at low temperature). The catalytic performance was studied in the dehydration–dehydrogenation reactions of 2-propanol and the hydroconversion of decane, which generate important information about the acidity properties such as the type, number and strength of acidic sites. The correlation between the number, type and acid strength with the catalytic behavior allowed to establish the important effect regarding the nature of the mineral, its method of delamination and the nature of the incorporated cation, thus generating tools for controlled processes for the potentiation of the acidity of new supports from raw vermiculite.