Ethanol dehydrogenation on copper catalysts with ytterbium stabilized tetragonal ZrO2 support

The physicochemical and catalytic properties of Cu-containing crystalline zirconia, obtained via sol–gel synthesis in the presence of Yb3+ ions and polyvinylpyrrolidone, are studied. DTG/DSC, TEM, XRD and BET methods are used to analyze the crystallization, texture, phase uniformity, surface and porosity of ZrO2 nanopowders. It is shown that increasing the copper content (1, 3, and 5 wt % from ZrO2) raises the dehydrogenation activity in the temperature range of 100–400°C and lowers the activation energy of acetaldehyde formation. It is found that the activity of all Cu/t-ZrO2 catalysts grows under the effects of the reaction medium, due to the migration and redispersion of copper. © 2016, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.