Effect of Tungsten Modification on Zirconium Phosphate-Supported Pt Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to 1-Propanol

Hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propanols is highly promising for the sustainable development of biomass refining. In this work, modified amorphous zirconium phosphate (ZrP)-supported Pt catalysts were developed and characterized thoroughly by X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, Fourier transform infrared spectra of adsorbed pyridine, temperature-programmed reduction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area. The as-obtained catalysts were employed for selective glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1-propanol (1-PO) in a fixed-bed reactor. Owing to the incorporation of WOx, both the total acidity and the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles were enhanced significantly. The Pt/7WOx-ZrP catalyst could afford 81% yield of 1-PO at full conversion of glycerol in a long-term catalytic stability test (at least 70 h reaction time) and was regenerated by calcination in air. The results of the catalytic activity test and catalyst characterization indicated that the acid sites of the catalysts promoted the selective dehydration of glycerol into acrolein, whereas the Pt sites facilitated H2 dissociation and a sequential hydrogenation of acrolein into 1-PO.