Complete hydrocracking of dibenzyl ether over a solid acid under mild conditions

A novel solid acid was prepared by impregnating trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA) onto mesoporous ZrO2 coated attapulgite (MPZCA) via one-pot synthesis method. Dibenzyl ether (DBE) was used as a coal-related model compound to evaluate the catalytic activity of TFMSA/MPZCA for cleaving Calk-O bridged bonds in low-rank coals. The results show that DBE conversion over TFMSA/MPZCA could reach 100% at 160 degrees C in C2H5OH without charging H-2. TFMSA/MPZCA proved to be stable after 4 cycles with only slight loss in catalytic activity. Moreover, a H+ transfer mechanism was proposed, which reasonably deduces possible pathways for DBE hydrocracking over TFMSA/MPZCA. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.