Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped mesoporous carbon with enhanced performance for acetylene hydrochlorination

Acetylene hydrochlorination is a major technology for producing vinyl chloride in coal-rich areas, but its development is restricted by its utilizing the toxic mercury chloride (HgCl2) catalyst. Lately, several nitrogen-doped carbon materials have been studied and are considered to be a feasible alternative. Here, we propose an approach based on sulfur doping to effectively improve the pyridinic N content in N-doped carbon material. According to high-resolution XPS and C2H2 TPD results, C atoms adjacent to pyridinic N were proved to be active sites, and thus the co-doped carbon catalyst exhibited a higher acetylene conversion than the N-doped carbon sample. Furthermore, the co-doped catalyst processed in NH3 exhibits preferable catalytic activity and competitive stability owing to its high specific surface area, mesoporous structure, and high nitrogen level. Good performance, combined with the features of low cost and ecofriendliness, makes sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon a promising catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.