Role of metal Cu species on methyl laurate catalytic hydrogenation to oxygen-containing compounds

The Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalysts with different Cu loadings were prepared by impregnation method. The physicochemical properties of these Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were characterized by H2-TPR, XRD, and in-situ XPS. The catalytic hydrogenation performances of methyl laurate over Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalysts were studied. The results show that the hydrogenation performances of methyl laurate on Cu/γ-Al2O3 catalyst are related to the dispersion, crystallite size, and content of the active component Cu0. The 10CA catalyst has the best hydrogenation performances for methyl laurate to produce C12 alcohol. At 300 °C, the conversion of methyl laurate and the selectivity of C12 alcohol are 55.6% and 30.4%, respectively.