Catalytic dehydration of glycerol over Cu–Fe–Al-based oxides: understanding changes in active sites throughout the reaction

The glycerol conversion into acetol using Fe, Al and Cu-based oxides was investigated. XRD results indicate the formation of nanosized particles with high phase dispersion, however, Raman, Mössbauer, (27)Al NMR and XPS spectroscopies suggest the presence of iron(iii) oxide, Al(2)O(3) and CuO phases. The FTIR with pyridine adsorption revealed high Lewis acidity. The TPR profile showed the reduction temperature range for the Fe(3+) and Cu(2+) sites, indicating the suitable condition for pretreatment. The N(2) adsorption–desorption isotherms indicated the presence of micro–mesopores with interesting textural properties and specific area varying between 71 and 220 m(2) g(−1), while the porous morphology was observed by SEM and TEM images. The optimized catalytic tests showed glycerol conversion of 60% and acetol selectivity of 92% with 17% of coke according to TG profile. The recycling tests confirmed the efficiency of the solid, reaching 28% conversion and 91% acetol selectivity after four reuses and, after reactivation in an oxidizing atmosphere, the catalytic performance obtained results close to the second reuse. The interaction between the different Lewis acid sites involved in the mechanisms for the acetol and coke formation on the catalyst surface is discussed. The charge distribution represented by colors which indicates the acid–base surface was evaluated by a simple theoretical–computational study based on the DFT approach. The synergy between the active sites indicates that the presence of Cu(0)/Cu(+) drastically increases the acetol selectivity which is a more important characteristic than the high Lewis acidity of Fe(n+) and Al(3+).