Hydrogenation of methyl propionate over Ru-Pt/AlOOH catalyst: Effect of surface hydroxyl groups on support and solvent

A ruthenium-platinum bimetallic catalyst supported on boehmite was prepared by co-impregnation and hydrothermal reduction and characterized by XRD, TEM and TG-DTG. Reduction time of the catalyst affected the conversion of gamma-Al2O3 to boehmite and the specific surface area of the catalyst, and consequently influenced the catalytic performance of the catalyst. Under the same conditions, the Ru-Pt/AlOOH catalyst showed much higher activity and selectivity than the Ru-Pt/gamma-Al2O3 in aqueous hydrogenation of methyl propionate. The selectivity to 1-propanol of 97.8% could be obtained at methyl propionate conversion of 89.1% over Ru-Pt/AlOOH at 453 K under 5 MPa of H-2 for 6 h. It is Postulated that the high performance of this novel catalyst is related to the cooperation of the hydroxyl groups of support surface and water solvent. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.