Platinum Supported on WO3-Doped Aluminosilicate: A Highly Efficient Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to 1,3-Propanediol

Platinum-loaded WO3–Al2O3–SiO2 catalysts, denoted as Pt/WAlSi, in glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO) with a batch reactor were investigated, wherein the WO3-doped silica–alumina material with a homogeneous dispersion was prepared by sol–gel method and Pt was loaded onto it by incipient wetness impregnation. The catalysts were characterized by powder XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption, TEM, CO chemisorption, NH3-TPD, Py-IR, and XPS. The WO3/Al2O3 ratio and Pt loading amount are shown to be of importance in determining the activity and directing the selectivity to 1,3-PDO. It was found that 2% Pt/WAlSi with the ratio of WO3 to Al2O3 at 2 has a suitable Brønsted acidity and contributes to a high selectivity to 1,3-PDO close to 56% at 48% glycerol conversion, and the space time yield for 1,3-PDO in an optimized reaction condition could reach 18.34 g/(gPt h), much higher than the best result reported in the literature. A plausible mechanism of glycerol hydrogenolysis was proposed from the reaction results.