Catalytic performance of ternary Mg-Al-Ce oxides for ethanol conversion into 1-butanol in a flow reactor

An investigation of hydrotalcite-derived ternary Mg-Al-Ce oxides as catalysts for vapour phase condensation of ethanol to 1-butanol in a flow reactor under atmospheric pressure was carried out.The Mg-Al-Ce oxide systems with Mg/(Al+Ce)ratio from 1 to 4 were synthesized and characterized by XRD,SEM,NMR,and XPS.The study of acid-base characteristics of the systems with different Mg/(Al+Ce)ratio by NH3/CO_(2)quasi-equilibrium thermal desorption techniques shows that the ratio of the catalyst oxide components(Mg,Al,Ce)can provide acid/base capacity ratio close to 3 for the effectivity of the target process.The highest selectivity 68%is reached over Mg-Al-Ce oxide catalyst with the ratio of Mg/(Al+Ce)=2.