title: Direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene on nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxides with balanced acid-base sites.
abstract: We report the design and synthesis of nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxides for direct and high-yield conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene (~83%). ZnO is addded to ZrO(2) to selectively passivate zirconia's strong Lewis acidic sites and weaken Brönsted acidic sites, while simultaneously introducing basicity. As a result, the undesired reactions of bio-ethanol dehydration and acetone polymerization/coking are suppressed. Instead, a surface basic site-catalyzed ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde to acetone conversion via a complex pathway including aldol-condensation/dehydrogenation, and a Brönsted acidic site-catalyzed acetone-to-isobutene reaction pathway dominates on the nanosized Zn(x)Zr(y)O(z) mixed oxide catalyst, leading to a highly selective process for direct conversion of bio-ethanol to isobutene.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Interfacial Catalysis, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA.
authors.forename: Junming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kake
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Chongmin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Charles H F
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Peden
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000475:Alkenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002384:Catalysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000475:Alkenes; D000431:Ethanol; D015040:Zirconium; C008176:isobutylene; C028541:zirconium oxide; D015034:Zinc Oxide