Hydrogenolysis of glycerol over bimetallic Cu-Ni catalysts supported on hierarchically porous SAPO-11 zeolite

Hierarchically porous SAPO-11 zeolite (M-SAPO-11) was synthesized and used as support to prepare a series of Cu or/and Ni catalysts. Hydrogenolysis of glycerol was then conducted over the prepared metal-acid bifunctional catalysts. An M-SAPO-11-supported bimetallic catalyst with the Cu/Ni ratio of 2/1 shows extraordinary catalytic activity. The mesopores generated in M-SAPO-11 alleviate the diffusion barriers of reactants that are present in conventional SAPO-11 microporous channels during the liquid-phase reaction. Besides, the added Ni promotes the formation of highly dispersed Cu active phase, which makes the bimetallic catalyst superior to monometallic one. Furthermore, temperature has a greater impact on glycerol conversion in various technological parameters.