The effect of textural properties on the hydrogenation of succinic acid using palladium incorporated mesoporous supports

In this study, we examined the effect of the textural properties of support materials on the palladium-catalyzed hydrogenation of succinic acid using mesoporous supports (MCM-41 and SBA-15). The physicochemical properties of these prepared heterogeneous catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). When palladium was loaded into the mesoporous supports by incipient wetness method, most palladium particles was incorporated inside the pore channels of SBA-15 support whereas the majority of particles were formed external to the pores of MCM-41 support. The small size of the palladium particles and the large pores of the Pd/SBA-15 catalyst enhanced the catalytic activity on the hydrogenation of succinic acid and the production of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) and tetrahydrofuran (THF); for Pd/MCM-41 catalyst, it was found that the large Pd particles and the small pore size enhanced the production of 1,4-butanediol (BDO). These catalysts showed promise as sustainable alternatives to current methods of manufacture for hydrocarbon derived products such as GBL, THF and BDO.