Ethanol Dehydrogenation over Copper-Silica Catalysts: From Atomic Distribution to 15 nm Large Particles

Non-oxidative ethanol dehydrogenation is a renewable source of acetaldehyde and hydrogen. The reaction is often catalyzed by supported copper catalysts with high selectivity. The activity and long-term stability depend on many factors, including particle size, choice of support, doping, etc. Herein we present four different synthetic pathways to prepare Cu/SiO2 catalysts (~2.5 wt% Cu) with varying copper distribution: hydrolytic sol-gel (mostly atomic dispersion), dry impregnation (Ā = 3.9 nm; σ = 1.4 nm and particles up to 22 nm), strong electrostatic adsorption (Ā = 2.6 nm; σ = 1.0 nm) and solvothermal hot injection followed by Cu particles deposition (Ā = 14.7 nm; σ = 3.1 nm). All materials were characterized by ICP-OES, XPS, N2 physisorption, STEM-EDS, XRD, and H2-TPR, and tested in ethanol dehydrogenation from 185 to 325 °C. The sample prepared by hydrolytic sol-gel exhibited mostly atomic Cu dispersion and, accordingly, the highest catalytic activity. Its acetaldehyde productivity (2.79 g g−1 h−1 at 255 °C) outperforms most of the Cu-based catalysts reported in the literature, but it lacks stability and tends to deactivate over time. On the other hand, the sample prepared by simple and cost-effective dry impregnation, despite having Cu particles of various sizes, was still highly active (2.42 g g−1 h−1 acetaldehyde at 255 °C) and it was the most stable sample out of the studied materials. The characterization of the spent catalyst confirmed its exceptional properties: it showed the lowest extent of both coking and particle sintering.