Synergistic Effect of Ni/W/Cu on MgAl2O4 for One-Pot Hydrogenolysis of Cellulose to Ethylene Glycol at a Low H2 Pressure

Jun Yu; Jiezhen Liang; Xiaopeng Chen; Linlin Wang; Xiaojie Wei; Youqi Li; Yanmin Qin

doi:10.1021/acsomega.1c00979

Synergistic Effect of Ni/W/Cu on MgAl₂O₄ for One-Pot Hydrogenolysis of Cellulose to Ethylene Glycol at a Low H₂ Pressure

ACS Omega. 2021 Apr 20;6(17):11650-11659. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00979. eCollection 2021 May 4.

Authors

Jun Yu¹, Jiezhen Liang¹, Xiaopeng Chen¹, Linlin Wang¹, Xiaojie Wei¹, Youqi Li¹, Yanmin Qin¹

Affiliation

¹ Guangxi Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.

Abstract

Nickel and tungsten, combined with copper, were incorporated into a magnesium aluminum spinel to form a multifunctional catalyst (Ni-W-Cu/MgAl₂O₄). Characterization results suggested that the adjacent Cu not only facilitated the reduction of W⁶⁺ to W⁵⁺ with substantial oxygen vacancies but also promoted the reducibility of the Ni species. Besides, the incorporation of Ni, W, and Cu into the support enhanced the catalytic acidity, as well as the L acid sites. The catalyst exhibited a strong synergistic effect between the three metals and the support, resulting in higher catalytic activity for the one-pot hydrogenolysis of cellulose to ethylene glycol. High cellulose conversion (100%) and ethylene glycol yield (52.8%) were obtained, even under a low H₂ pressure of 3 MPa.