Kinetic insights into propylene epoxidation with H 2 and O 2 over Au/ TS ‐1: Reaction network and intrinsic kinetics

Abstract Direct propylene epoxidation with H 2 and O 2 over Au/TS‐1 is an attractive alternative for the production of propylene oxide (PO), and acquiring its reaction kinetics is essential for the industrialization of this process. Herein, its intrinsic kinetics are established by using Au/TS‐1‐B with template‐blocked micropores, which enables the elimination of catalyst deactivation and micropore diffusion effects. The established reaction network shows that propanal and acetone are formed via PO isomerization and propylene‐derived hydro‐oxidation, and CO 2 mainly originates from PO deep oxidation on Au sites. The co‐feeding experiments reveal that there exist strong and weak adsorption for C 3 H 6 or PO on Au sites, and competitive adsorption of C 3 H 6 , PO, and H 2 O on Ti sites. Based on the above understanding, a Langmuir–Hinshelwood intrinsic kinetic model is proposed and validated. This model exhibits excellent applicability to well predict the data obtained from our kinetic experiments and those reported in the literature.