Cu/MgO as an Efficient New Catalyst for the Non-Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol into Acetaldehyde

The non-oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol into acetaldehyde is one of the efficient solutions for biomass upgrading. In this work, a series of copper catalysts supported on MgO with different Cu loadings ranging from 2.5% to 20% were prepared by an impregnation method. The as-synthesized Cu/MgO catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption, XRD, TEM, CO2-TPD, XPS and TPR. These catalysts were found to be effective for ethanol dehydrogenation into acetaldehyde. As the Cu loading was increased, the ethanol conversion first increased and then leveled off. At a WHSV of 1.5 h−1 and 250 °C, the 20%Cu/MgO catalyst gave an initial conversion of 81.5%, with 97.7% selectivity toward acetaldehyde. Compared to 20%Cu/SiO2, the 20%Cu/MgO catalyst displayed an equivalent initial acetaldehyde yield, higher acetaldehyde selectivity and longer stability.