A significant enhancement for hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol over Pt/W-SiO2 catalyst by tungsten oxide and silica interaction

Pt-W based catalyst is one of effective catalysts for hydrogenolysis of glycerol to 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PDO), where the interaction between Pt and tungsten oxide (WOx) has been considered as a crucial factor for the activity, but interactions between WOx and supports are rarely studied. In this study, we investigated the SiO2-WOx interaction over Pt/W-SiO2 catalysts by adjusting silanols on the silica supports, and it is demonstrated that weaker WOx-SiO2 interaction benefits Pt-WOx interaction (larger Pt-WOx coordinations), which is helpful for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,3-PDO. For example, Pt/W-SiO2-700 (calcination at 700 degrees C for removing most of silanols in the silica support to have larger Pt-WOx coordinations) exhibits a glycerol conversion at 70.9 % with excellent 1,3-PDO selectivity of 61.3 % at a mild temperature of 140 degrees C. Experimental results and theoretical calculations support that larger Pt-WOx coordination favors hydrogen spillover to form more isolated WOx-H species, which are favorable for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,3-PDO.