Selective hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol over a Pt/WO3/TiO2/SiO2 catalyst in aqueous media Original Research Article

SiO2-supported Pt/WO3/TiO2 catalysts were prepared; they were found to be more active and selective than the Pt/WO3/TiO2 catalyst for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,3-propanediol in a slurry batch reactor. The influences of catalyst component, reaction medium, reaction temperature, H2 pressure and reaction time on glycerol hydrogenolysis over the Pt/WO3/TiO2/SiO2 catalyst were investigated. XRD, TEM, NH3-TPD and Py-IR characterization were employed to reveal the roles of WO3 and TiO2 in the performance of the Pt based-catalysts. XRD patterns and TEM images showed that the presence of TiO2 species in the catalyst favored the dispersion of platinum. The weak Brønsted acid sites formed by addition of WO3 to the catalyst were concluded to play a key role in selective formation of 1,3-propanediol, based on the results of NH3-TPD and Py-IR characterization.