Influence of the Procedure for Preparing Ruthenium Nanoparticles on the Internal Surface of Aluminosilicate Nanotubes on Their Catalytic Properties in Benzene Hydrogenation in the Presence of Water

The composition, structure, catalytic activity, and stability of ruthenium catalytic systems prepared using natural aluminosilicate nanotubes as a support were studied. The influence of the preparation procedure on the morphology of ruthenium nanoparticles selectively formed inside mesoporous aluminosilicate nanotubes was examined. The activity and stability of catalysts in the model reaction of benzene hydrogenation in the presence of water [V(C6H6) = V(H2O), 80°C, hydrogen pressure 3.0 MPa, reaction time 3 h] were studied. The catalyst containing 1.02 wt % ruthenium, prepared by reduction of the ruthenium ethylenediaminetetraacetate complex in a hydrogen stream at 400°С, exhibits higher activity (the benzene conversion in the 3-h reaction was 100%) and higher stability in the reaction (the benzene conversion after three reaction cycles was 95%) compared to the system with the similar ruthenium content (0.98 wt %) prepared by reduction with a sodium borohydride solution. The reduction with hydrogen leads to the formation of highly stable ruthenium nanoparticles with the mean diameter of 2 nm, tightly bound to the internal surface of aluminosilicate nanotubes.