Required catalytic properties for alkane production from carboxylic acids: Hydrodeoxygenation of acetic acid

The supported Pt catalysts (1 wt%) were prepared by the incipient impregnation method and analyzed using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, BET surface area, oxygen adsorption, CO pulse chemisorption, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of acetic acid, H₂-TPD, NH₃-TPD, O ₂-TPD, and H₂-TPR. The reactivity of Pt-based catalysts was studied using a fixed bed reactor at 300 C and 4 MPa for hydrodeoxygenation of acetic acid, where Pt/TiO₂ was very selective for ethane production. TPD experiments revealed that several conditions must be satisfied to achieve this high selectivity to ethane from acetic acid, such as Pt sites, moderate acidity, and medium metal-oxygen bond strength in the oxide support. This work provides insights in developing novel catalytic materials for hydrocarbon productions from various organics including bio-fuels.