skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Operando Structure Determination of Cu and Zn on Supported MgO/SiO2 Catalysts during Ethanol Conversion to 1,3-Butadiene

Journal Article · · ACS Catalysis
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (United States)
  2. Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)
  3. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States)
  4. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  5. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Stony Brook Univ., NY (United States)

The electronic structure and reactivity of Cu- and Zn-promoted wet-kneaded MgO/SiO2 catalysts was interrogated during ethanol reaction to 1,3-BD. A multimodal nature of characterization, including in situ or operando X-ray, electron, light spectroscopies, and steady state reactivity measurements demonstrated critical information on the temporal evolution of the catalyst active sites including key measurements performed in operando conditions using synchrotron techniques (EXAFS and XANES). In situ DRIFT spectroscopy allowed decoupling of the aldol condensation and dehydrogenation reactive steps due to the promotion with enhanced ability to carry out aldol condensation, as correlated with the steady state reactivity experiments. In situ UV–vis spectroscopy presented a complex picture of the adsorbates with π–π* electronic transitions due to the allylic cations, cyclic or aromatic species while also suggesting oligomeric CuO species were formed. Operando X-ray measurements combined with ab initio multiple scattering modeling performed as a function of temperature identified a transient intermediate assigned to a 4-fold coordinate Cu species that was key leading to increase in Cu–Cu pair number. We identified two types of Zn pairs, namely Zn–O and Zn–Mg, during X-ray analysis under operating conditions. With Zn nearly 6-coordinated when in the vicinity of Mg while Zn–O species coordinated to nearly 4 nearest neighbors. The data suggest that such supported catalyst deactivation might proceed not only via carbon coking mechanism but also through the dispersed Cu site diffusion and growth due to the nearest neighbor oxygen atoms loss. Furthermore, the results presented suggest intermediates for segregation/deactivation mechanisms for a broader set of supported Cu and Zn catalysts used for alcohol upgrading catalytic reactions.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1492773
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1532672
Report Number(s):
BNL-210922-2019-JAAM; NETL-PUB-21841
Journal Information:
ACS Catalysis, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2155-5435
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 28 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (81)

Potential of bioethanol as a chemical building block for biorefineries: Preliminary sustainability assessment of 12 bioethanol-based products journal May 2013
From Sugars to Wheels: The Conversion of Ethanol to 1,3-Butadiene over Metal-Promoted Magnesia-Silicate Catalysts journal May 2016
Recent Breakthroughs in the Conversion of Ethanol to Butadiene journal December 2016
Ag-Promoted ZrBEA Zeolites Obtained by Post-Synthetic Modification for Conversion of Ethanol to Butadiene journal July 2016
With Open Arms: Open Sites of ZrBEA Zeolite Facilitate Selective Synthesis of Butadiene from Ethanol journal July 2015
Catalytic conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene on MgO: A comprehensive mechanism elucidation using DFT calculations journal February 2017
Mechanistic Study on the Lewis Acid Catalyzed Synthesis of 1,3-Butadiene over Ta-BEA Using Modulated Operando DRIFTS-MS journal September 2016
Mechanistic study of ethanol conversion into butadiene over silver promoted zirconia catalysts journal October 2017
On the Chemistry of Ethanol on Basic Oxides: Revising Mechanisms and Intermediates in the Lebedev and Guerbet reactions journal December 2014
Study on key step of 1,3-butadiene formation from ethanol on MgO/SiO 2 journal January 2015
Experimental and computational studies of the roles of MgO and Zn in talc for the selective formation of 1,3-butadiene in the conversion of ethanol journal January 2016
Effect of Preparation Method and CuO Promotion in the Conversion of Ethanol into 1,3-Butadiene over SiO 2 -MgO Catalysts journal July 2014
Ethanol Conversion to 1,3-Butadiene on ZnO/MgO–SiO2 Catalysts: Effect of ZnO Content and MgO:SiO2 Ratio journal March 2015
Ethanol to 1,3-Butadiene Conversion by using ZrZn-Containing MgO/SiO 2 Systems Prepared by Co-precipitation and Effect of Catalyst Acidity Modification journal June 2016
Pronounced catalytic activity and selectivity of MgO–SiO 2 –Na 2 O for synthesis of buta-1,3-diene from ethanol journal January 1985
Design of a Metal-Promoted Oxide Catalyst for the Selective Synthesis of Butadiene from Ethanol journal August 2014
Catalytic study of the conversion of ethanol into 1,3-butadiene journal December 2012
Investigations into the conversion of ethanol into 1,3-butadiene journal January 2011
Catalysis by Gold journal January 1999
Ethanol dehydrogenation by gold catalysts: The effect of the gold particle size and the presence of oxygen journal June 2009
Acetaldehyde: a chemical whose fortunes have changed journal December 1983
Mechanistic Study of Ethanol Dehydrogenation over Silica-Supported Silver journal May 2013
Dehydrogenation of ethanol over copper catalysts on rice husk ash prepared by incipient wetness impregnation journal June 2003
Ethanol dehydrogenation over copper catalysts on rice husk ash prepared by ion exchange journal May 2006
Ternary Ag/MgO-SiO 2 Catalysts for the Conversion of Ethanol into Butadiene journal November 2014
Ex Situ and Operando Studies on the Role of Copper in Cu-Promoted SiO 2 –MgO Catalysts for the Lebedev Ethanol-to-Butadiene Process journal September 2015
Ethanol Conversion into 1,3-Butadiene by the Lebedev Method over MTaSiBEA Zeolites (M = Ag, Cu, Zn) journal January 2017
One-step catalytic conversion of ethanol into 1,3-butadiene using zinc-containing talc journal August 2015
Conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene over Na doped Zn Zr O mixed metal oxides journal January 2016
First principles study of adsorbed Cun (n=1–4) microclusters on MgO(100): Structural and electronic properties journal March 1998
Supported nickel and copper clusters on MgO(100): A first‐principles calculation on the metal/oxide interface journal May 1996
A structure model as the origin of catalytic properties of metal-doped MgO systems journal January 1988
In situ X-ray absorption measurements of the Cu/MgO() interface journal June 2002
Reaction of H2S with MgO(100) and Cu/MgO(100) surfaces: Band-gap size and chemical reactivity journal November 1999
Interaction of SO 2 with MgO(100) and Cu/MgO(100):  Decomposition Reactions and the Formation of SO 3 and SO 4 journal August 2000
Adsorption of single Ag and Cu atoms on regular and defective MgO(001) substrates: an ab initio study journal May 2004
Adsorption of transition metal atoms on oxygen vacancies and regular sites of the MgO(001) surface journal May 1999
Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy and Temperature-Programmed Techniques as Tools for Structural Characterization of Cu in CuMgAlO x Mixed Metal Oxides journal August 2012
Role of the Cu-ZrO 2 Interfacial Sites for Conversion of Ethanol to Ethyl Acetate and Synthesis of Methanol from CO 2 and H 2 journal September 2016
X-ray absorption near edge structures (xanes) of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Co shift catalysts journal December 1980
Relevance of the Drying Step in the Preparation by Impregnation of Zn/SiO2 Supported Catalysts journal March 2003
Synthesis of Nanosized ZnO/MgO Solid and Its Catalytic Activity for CO Oxidation journal November 2008
Transformation of ethanol into 1,3-butadiene over magnesium oxide/silica catalysts journal January 1988
In situ cell for combined XRD and on-line catalysis tests: Studies of Cu-based water gas shift and methanol catalysts journal December 1991
Role of Magnesium Silicates in Wet-Kneaded Silica–Magnesia Catalysts for the Lebedev Ethanol-to-Butadiene Process journal May 2016
Infrared Characterization of Hydroxyl Groups on MgO:  A Periodic and Cluster Density Functional Theory Study journal April 2007
Cu and Cu-Based Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Applications in Catalysis journal March 2016
Physicochemical properties of copper oxide loaded alumina in methane combustion journal January 1990
The hydroxylated surface of MgO powders and the formation of surface sites journal January 1988
Highly dispersed zinc oxide species on silica as active sites for photoepoxidation of propene by molecular oxygen journal November 2003
ZnO/MgO containing ZnO nanoparticles as a highly effective heterogeneous base catalyst for the synthesis of 4H-pyrans and coumarins in [bmim]BF4 journal March 2011
Bimetallic Zn and Hf on Silica Catalysts for the Conversion of Ethanol to 1,3-Butadiene journal May 2015
Adsorption and Activation of NH3 during Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO by NH3 journal July 2006
CuO–SiO2 Sol–Gel Catalysts: Characterization and Catalytic Properties for NO Reduction journal October 1999
Generalized molybdenum oxide surface chemical state XPS determination via informed amorphous sample model journal January 2015
Study of acetaldehyde condensation chemistry over magnesia and zirconia supported on silica journal December 2010
Spontaneous polymerization of acetaldehyde to polyacetaldehyde at close to dry-ice temperature journal September 1966
Evolution of carbonaceous deposits on H-mordenite and Pt-doped H-mordenite during n-butane conversion journal December 2012
Effects of Coke Deposits on the Catalytic Performance of Large Zeolite H-ZSM-5 Crystals during Alcohol-to-Hydrocarbon Reactions as Investigated by a Combination of Optical Spectroscopy and Microscopy journal October 2015
In situ MAS NMR–UV/Vis investigation of H-SAPO-34 catalysts partially coked in the methanol-to-olefin conversion under continuous-flow conditions and of their regeneration journal September 2007
In Situ Spectroscopic Insights on the Molecular Structure of the MgO/SiO 2 Catalytic Active Sites during Ethanol Conversion to 1,3-Butadiene journal August 2018
The Role of Cyclopentadienium Ions in Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Chemistry journal September 2014
Generation, Characterization, and Transformations of Unsaturated Carbenium Ions in Zeolites journal July 1999
Isomerization of n-butane and of n-pentane in the presence of sulfated zirconia: formation of surface deposits investigated by in situ UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy journal September 2003
Electronic spectroscopy and methyl internal rotation dynamics of 9,10-dimethylanthracene journal September 2005
Formation of alkenyl carbenium ions by adsorption of cyclic precursors on zeolites journal April 2002
Combined Operando UV/Vis/IR Spectroscopy Reveals the Role of Methoxy and Aromatic Species during the Methanol-to-Olefins Reaction over H-SAPO-34 journal October 2014
Coke Formation during the Methanol-to-Olefin Conversion: In Situ Microspectroscopy on Individual H-ZSM-5 Crystals with Different Brønsted Acidity journal February 2011
Space- and Time-Resolved In-situ Spectroscopy on the Coke Formation in Molecular Sieves: Methanol-to-Olefin Conversion over H-ZSM-5 and H-SAPO-34 journal November 2008
Mechanistic Studies on Chabazite-Type Methanol-to-Olefin Catalysts: Insights from Time-Resolved UV/Vis Microspectroscopy Combined with Theoretical Simulations journal November 2012
Cu–Mn mixed oxides for low temperature NO reduction with NH3 journal February 2006
Fe modified CuMnZrO2 catalysts for higher alcohols synthesis from syngas: Effect of calcination temperature journal June 2005
Cu K -edge x-ray-absorption spectroscopic study on the octahedrally coordinated trivalent copper in the perovskite-related compounds La 2 Li 0.5 Cu 0.5 O 4 and LaCuO 3 journal December 1994
Electronic absorption spectra of Cu 2 + in MgO : Ab initio theory and experiment journal July 2004
Parameter-free calculations of X-ray spectra with FEFF9 journal January 2010
DFT Computation of Relative Spin-State Energetics of Transition Metal Compounds book January 2004
Environment of Ni, Co and Zn in low alkali borate glasses: information from EXAFS and XANES spectra journal November 2001
XAS study of Zn-doped Al2O3 after thermal treatment journal June 2005
An X-ray absorption spectroscopic investigation of the nature of the zinc complex accumulated in Datura innoxia plant tissue culture journal April 2002
Surface complexation and precipitate geometry for aqueous Zn(II) sorption on ferrihydrite: II. XANES analysis and simulation journal March 2003
Orientation-Dependent Local Structural Properties of Zn1−xMgxO Nanorods Studied by Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure journal March 2013

Cited By (1)