Design strategies and structure-performance relationships of heterogeneous catalysts for selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene

Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene is an essential process in the upgrading of the crude C4 cut from the petroleum chemical sector. Catalyst design is crucial to achieve a virtually alkadiene-free product while avoiding over-hydrogenating valuable olefins. In addition to the great industrial relevance, this demanding selectivity pattern renders 1,3-butadiene hydrogenation a widely used model reaction to discriminate selective hydrogenation catalysts in academia. Nonetheless, critical reviews on the catalyst development are extremely lacking in literature. In this review, we aim to provide the reader an in-depth overview of different catalyst families, particularly the precious metal-based monometallic catalysts (Pd, Pt, and Au), developed in the last half century. The emphasis is placed on the development of new strategies to design high-performance architectures, the establishment of structure-performance relationships, and the reaction and deactivation mechanisms. Thrilling directions for future optimization of catalyst formulations and engineering aspect are also provided. (C) 2022, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.