Silver modified Cu/SiO2 catalyst for the hydrogenation of methyl acetate to ethanol

A series of silver modified Cu/SiO2 catalysts were synthesized with ammonia-evaporation method and applied in vapor-phase hydrogenation of methyl acetate to ethanol.The influence of additive‘Ag’on the structural evolution of catalyst was systematically studied by several characterization techniques,such as N2 adsorption–desorption,N2O titration,PXRD,FTIR,in-situ FTIR,H2-TPR,H2-TPD,XPS and TEM.Results showed that incorporation of a small amount of Ag could enhance the structural stability,and the strong interaction between Cu and Ag species was conducive to increase the dispersion of copper species and create a suitable Cu+/(Cu0+Cu+)ratio,which was proposed to be responsible for the improved catalytic activity.The maximum conversion of MA(94.1%)and selectivity of ethanol(91.3%)over optimized Cu-0.5 Ag/SiO2 and 120 h on stream without deactivation under optimal conditions demonstrates its excellent stability.