KINETIC MODELING OF HIGHER ALCOHOL SYNTHESIS OVER ALKALI-PROMOTED CU/ZNO AND MOS2 CATALYSTS

Kinetic networks have been developed for the synthesis products that are observed to be formed over alkali-promoted Cu/ZnO- and MoS2-based higher alcohol synthesis catalysts. Alcohols are synthesized over these two types of catalysts by two different mechanisms having different kinetically important steps. Linear alcohols are formed by CO insertion over the alkali/MoS2 catalysts, while the alkali/Cu/ZnO catalysts promote the formation of branched alcohols via a β-addition process that has a kinetically limiting C1 → C2 step. The derived kinetic parameters can be used to predict the influence of reaction conditions, e.g. temperature, pressure, H2/CO ratio, and GHSV, on product yields and selectivities in differential and integral reactors. © 1990.