Selective oxidation of glycerol with O2 catalyzed by low-cost CuNiAl hydrotalcites

Abstract

A series of CuNiAl hydrotalcites (HTs) were prepared and used to the selective oxidation of glycerol with O2. The results revealed that elemental composition, structures and the surface properties of the obtained catalysts significantly influenced their catalytic performance. Among them, amino-functionalized CuNiAl-HTs showed excellent catalytic performance due to their enhanced surface Lewis basicity. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the highest conversion of glycerol reached 68.1% with 76% of the selectivity to glyceric acid; moreover, the catalytic performance remained after being recycled 6 times. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.