Cu-incorporated MgAl LDH Catalyst for Enhanced Bio-ethanol Upgrading to Butanol

The catalytic conversion of bio-ethanol to butanol is a pivotal reaction for producing renewable fuels and chemicals from non-edible biomass. Developing non-noble metal-based catalysts that exhibit high activity and stability is of great importance, yet remains a substantial challenge. Herein, Cu/LDH catalyst (Cu supported on MgAl layered double hydroxide), was synthesized via simple impregnation without further calcination, and demonstrated for the activity enhancement of ethanol-to-butanol reaction with superior conversion/yield than previous reports of LDH-derived materials. The catalytic activity of Cu/LDH-150(Red) catalyst is attributed to the interaction between Cu and LDH, induced by the pre-reduction during synthesis. It has been further revealed that the Cu species provides redox sites for dehydrogenation/hydrogenation reactions, promoting the critical initial reaction step ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde. And pre-reduction of Cu/LDH catalyst facilitates the reduction of Cu 2+ to Cu 0 /Cu + and promotes the incorporation of Cu into the interlayer of LDH, as evidenced by XPS and mechanistic validation with acetaldehyde feed, responsible for the activity enhancement. Graphical A non-noble Cu/MgAl-LDH catalyst, synthesized via simple impregnation without calcination, efficiently converts bio-ethanol to butanol. Pre-reduction enhances activity by generating Cu 0 /Cu + species and structural integration, providing redox sites for key ethanol dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde. This design offers a high-performance, stable catalyst for renewable fuels.