Quantifying the dominant factors in Cu catalyst deactivation during glycerol hydrogenolysis

Abstract

Long term stability of a commercial Cu-based glycerol hydrogenolysis catalyst has been studied in an isothermal trickle-bed reactor at 473–503 K in the presence of impurities, such as S, Cl and glycerides. While glycerides have the least effect on the catalytic activity, the increase in the extent of deactivation with temperature as a consequence of thiophene indicates a kinetic rather than a thermodynamic adsorption effect. The threshold driven, ‘sudden’ manner in which deactivation manifests itself in case of Cl is indicative of sintering. A deactivation model accounting for the activity loss with changing concentration of impurities and temperature, was constructed.