- By:
- Li, Meijun ; Zhang, Junyan ; Purdy, Stephen C; Lin, Fan; Unocic, Kinga A; Cordon, Michael J; Wu, Zili ; Wang, Huamin; Hall, Jacklyn; Kropf, Arthur; Krause, Theodore; Davison, Brian H; Sutton, Andrew D
- Journal Name:
- Applied Catalysis B
- Page Number:
- 123648
- Volume:
- 344
- Issue Number:
- 1
- Publication Date:
- April 5, 2024
- View DOI Listing:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123648
Abstract
Bioethanol to middle distillate technologies have offered a unique solution to produce renewable aviation fuel for decarbonizing the hard-to-electrify sectors. Here, we have developed the series of bimetallic Cu- and rare earth-containing (RE) Beta zeolite catalysts that yield high C3+ alkene selectivity from ethanol upgrading (>80% selectivity at ∼100% conversion, 623 K). The formation rates of butene isomers to C5+ alkenes are linearly correlated with the strength of Lewis acidic RE identity, which follows the sequence of Yb12/Beta >Y7/Beta > Gd12/Beta > Ce10/Beta > La12/Beta. Rate measurements indicate that the RE selection plays the vital role in altering the rate of the key competitive reactions within the ethanol-to-alkenes reaction network, namely C4 alcohol dehydration and C-C chain growth, which dictate alkene product distributions. These findings indicate a feasible and promising method for tailoring alkene product distributions from ethanol upgrading, which is of notable significance to the generation of renewable middle distillates.
