MIBK from acetone on Pd/H-[Ga]ZSM5 catalysts: Effect of metal loading

This work presents the preparation and characterization of three bifunctional catalysts consisting of palladium supported on H-[Ga]ZSM5 zeolite, with a Si/Ga atomic ratio of 16 and Pd contents of 0.09, 0.50 and 1.02 wt%. The lowest and highest Pd content solids, which were assessed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), show dispersion of the supported phase of 90% and 73%, respectively. The XPS characterization studies of the catalysts allowed to detect the presence of framework, tetrahedral Ga species, Pd(0) aggregates and Pd(0) atomically dispersed. These solids were tested in the synthesis of methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) from acetone. The results confirm that the catalyst with 1.02 wt% Pd, shows an initial global activity about twice as higher as that of 0.09 wt%Pd/H-[Ga]ZSM5, and additionally the selectivity to MIBK of the former is four times higher. These results show that the catalyst with lower Pd content do not have a high number of active metallic sites to catalyze the hydrogenation of Mesityl oxide to MIBK, even though it showed an excellent dispersion, while the catalyst with 1.02 wt% Pd seems to be a catalyst with a proper balance of the acidic-hydrogenating functions.