Novel synthesis method and science based tuning of mesoporous graphitic carbons as catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Bastian Etzold
• Subject Area: Technical Chemistry
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 323078467

Catalytic materials are key components in chemical industry. As game changing technology development of novel catalytic system is crucial for reducing the environmental footprint. In the past two decades solely carbon based materials could be introduced as a new class of catalysts. Especially nanocarbons were investigated in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene or chain alkanes, where attractive yields and selectivity were achieved. Nevertheless, for an industrial application such nano-materials keep some drawbacks with regard to the scale up of their synthesis, the pressure drop induced by a fix bed of nanomaterials and unclear health risks. Thus replacing currently employed carbon nano-materials as catalyst is of interest. Using carbide-derived model carbons we could recently demonstrate that novel porous carbon powders show equivalent catalytic performance as nanocarbons. In addition, these materials show handling properties like normal activated carbon powders. In preliminary work for this proposal we could demonstrate that mesoporous and graphitic carbons could also be synthesised more sustainable by vacuum annealing of activated carbons (AC). These AC can stem from sources like wood, coconut, peat or agriculture wastes and would be a more ecological way to produced the desired carbons. To allow a catalyst tuning through the new synthesis method it is envisaged to deduce the influence of the precursor properties, vacuum annealing conditions and graphitization catalysts on the resulting material properties.The project will not stop with development of the novel synthesis method for AC derived mesoporous graphitic carbons, but also employ and optimize these materials for the oxidative dehydrogenation of alcohols to aldehydes. As the use of fossil oil and gas in chemical industry is in future problematic due to the peak oil and greenhouse gas problem, one of the utmost challenges of chemical industry is the transition towards sustainable feedstock. Here future important platform chemicals can be alcohols, as they can be produced sustainable (e.g. ethanol and butanol by fermentation). In this sense obtaining aldehydes from ODH of these alcohols could lead directly to important intermediates for chemical industry. Furthermore, the studied carbon materials shall replace classical dehydrogenation catalysts like noble metals or metal oxides. From the few reports available carbon catalysts could achieve high selectivity or operate at milder process conditions, which makes them an attractive alternative. For the materials optimization in this catalytic application, we want to fundamentally understand coupled alcohol substrate and carbon material influence on the catalytic performance. In this sense, the material synthesis, characterization, catalytic experiments and deducing the catalytic mechanisms will go hand in hand. This gets possible through the German-Chinese collaboration allowing to combine the needed knowledge and methodologies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Partner Organisation: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Wei Qi