Characterization of Copper Foam as Catalytic Material in Ethanol Dehydrogenation

Abstract

Abstract Copper foam was used as a catalyst in ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde. Catalyst pretreatment, reaction temperature, liquid feed composition, and catalyst loading all affect ethanol conversion. Copper foam pretreated by oxidation yielded the highest ethanol conversion but deactivated due to copper surface reconstruction. The foam catalyst can be repeatedly reactivated by a short time exposure to air under reaction conditions. Yet, copper foam performance for ethanol dehydrogenation has been inferior in terms of activity and stability to that of supported copper catalysts.