Palladium catalysed oxidation of glycerol-Effect of catalyst support

The activity and selectivity of Palladium catalysts on various supports, for the liquid-phase oxidation of glycerol in basic condition, have been studied. Activated carbon (AC), SiO2, Al2O3 and TiO2 were the supports studied. The catalysts were characterized using a variety of techniques (TEM, BET, Pulse-Chemisorption, TPD, TPR and XPS). The support is shown to have a significant effect on both rate and selectivity of the reaction, with the best rate of glycerol conversion, as well as selectivity to glyceric acid, being obtained for activated carbon (AC) among all the supports studied. The results have been interpreted in terms of known concepts of metal-support interactions. It is concluded that the electronic interactions between the metal and support, as well as acidic/basic properties of catalyst, play a vital role in product selectivity and activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.