Exploring the influence of copper precursors and solvents on catalyst performance in the hydrogenation of hydroxyacetone to 1,2-Propanediol

This study proposes the impregnation of silica gel with copper acetate dissolved in water as a valid alternative for the preparation of catalysts for hydrogenation of oxygenates. Copper precursors demonstrated a significant impact on the catalytic properties of the samples here prepared. Moreover, the use of copper acetate in combination with water as impregnation solvent led to the highest activity among the samples presented in this work, suggesting a role of solvent polarity. Characterization by TPR allowed the identification of an unexpected consumption of hydrogen per copper atom, which was associated to the ability to localize hydrogen. The presence of Cu + ions in the samples was investigated by CO chemisorption, N 2 O reactive frontal chromatography and XPS. However, no evidence of its impact on the activity was established.