Cu incorporated MCM-48 for the liquid phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde

Abstract

A series of copper/MCM-48 mesoporous samples is prepared and characterized following two methods: a traditional hydrothermal synthesis and an impregnation with Cu(AcAc)2 before eliminating the structure-directing agent. The samples are characterized by XRD, BET, FTIR, TPR and TEM. Only for certain cases the morphological aspects of MCM-48 are not modified by the incorporation of copper into the mesoporous framework. The samples are tested as catalysts for the liquid phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde in a Batch reactor, employing H2 as the reductant. Some Cu/MCM-48 catalysts were more selective than copper supported on alumina (Cu/γ-Al2O3) tested under the same reaction conditions. The reason for the better catalytic performance would be that copper is finely dispersed and highly uncoordinated.