Synthesis of a high surface area and highly dispersed Cu-O-Si complex oxide used for the low-temperature hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to ethylene glycol

A highly dispersed Cu-O-Si composite oxide framework catalyst with high surface area (619 m(2)/g) and very small particle size (similar to 3 nm) has been synthesized using an improved precipitation method, which showed high catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) (99.9% conversion of DMO and 96.7% selectivity for ethylene glycol) even at low temperature (175 degrees C). In addition, its chemical stability was significantly enhanced due to the formation of a Cu-O-Si composite structure and the low reaction temperature, and the catalyst did not show any significant inactivation during the stability test over 140 h.