Investigations into the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene using MgO:SiO2 supported catalysts

We report the applicability of ZrO2/ZnO impregnated onto a variety of MgO:SiO2 materials as heterogeneous catalysts for the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene. The selectivity to 1,3-butadiene is affected by the ratio of the basic MgO to the acidic SiO2, with higher selectivities being observed as the mole fraction of MgO increases. The catalysts have been characterised by SEM, XPS, pXRD, BET surface area measurements and Si-29 solid-state NMR spectroscopy. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.