Activated carbon aerogel supported copper catalysts for the hydrogenation of methyl acetate to ethanol: Effect of KOH activation

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/c9nj01434a

Methyl acetate (MA) hydrogenation is crucial for indirect ethanol synthesis through syngas (CO + H₂). In our work, activated carbon aerogel supported copper (Cu-ACA) catalysts have been prepared by a conventional impregnation method. The surface area and functional groups of the ACA soared after KOH activation. The highest surface area achieved for the ACA was 2562 m² g^-1. The anchoring effect of micropores and external oxygen-containing groups (OCGs) significantly enhanced the metal-support interaction in catalysts, facilitating the high dispersion of Cu and an enhancement in surface Cu⁺ species, both of which improved the catalytic activity of catalysts. Cu-ACA-A4 showed the most outstanding catalytic performance, with a MA conversion of 95.2% and an ethanol selectivity of 62.2%, close to the carbon equilibrium selectivity of 66.7%.