Bioethanol selective oxidation to acetaldehyde over Ag-CeO2: role of metal-support interactions

Bioethanol oxidation was investigated over a Ag/CeO2 catalyst prepared via a wet impregnation method. The prepared catalyst was fully characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The characterization results indicated that a part of silver was inserted into the lattice of CeO2 and it expanded the support lattice. The Ag/CeO2 catalyst was found to outperform the previously reported catalyst systems (acetaldehyde selectivity of 90% and life >36 h) from 200 degrees C to 350 degrees C, 5 atm, and gas hourly space velocity of 18000 mL g(cat)(-1) h(-1). This study provides a path for the selective oxidation of other biomass-derived compounds.