Reduction of Trinitrobenzene to Amines with Molecular Hydrogen over Chrysocolla-like Catalysts

The cheap non-noble Cu–SiO2-based nanocatalysts are under intensive study in different reactions resulting in useful chemicals, yet their application in environment protection is poorly studied. In the present work, the influence of the Cu loading (3–15 wt%) on the catalytic behavior of Cu/SiO2 materials was first precisely studied in the hydrogenation of hazardous trinitrobenzene to valuable aromatic amines with molecular hydrogen. The catalysts have been synthesized by the method of deposition–precipitation using urea. The catalyst characterization by XRD, TPR-H2, SEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption methods confirmed that they include nanoparticles of the micro-mesoporous chrysocolla-like phase supported in the mesopores of a commercial SiO2 carrier, as well as revealed formation of the highly dispersed CuO phase in the sample with the highest Cu loading. Variation in reaction conditions showed the optimal ones (170 °C, 1.3 MPa H2) resulting in complete trinitrobenzene conversion with a triaminobenzene yield of 65% for the catalyst with a 15% Cu loading, and the best yield of 82% was obtained over the catalyst with 10% Cu calcined at 600 °C. The results show the potential of Cu phyllosilicate-based catalysts for the utilization of trinitroaromatic compounds via catalytic hydrogenation to amines and their possible applications in a remediation treatment system.