Zn-Cu bimetallic catalysts supported on pure silica MCM-41 for acetylene hydration reaction

A series of Zn-Cu bimetallic catalysts were prepared and used as catalysts for acetylene hydration in our study, and the influence of a copper additive on the performance of zinc catalysts was studied in detail. The activity test results indicate that the addition of copper improved the activity and stability of the bimetallic catalysts. The best catalytic performance was obtained over a Zn-10Cu/MCM catalyst, which gave 98% acetylene conversion. The catalysts were characterised via temperature-programmed reduction, low-temperature N-2 adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis results indicate that the Cu interacted synergistically with Zn species and prevented Zn species loss during the reaction, thereby improving the catalytic activity and stability of the bimetallic catalysts for the hydration of acetylene to acetaldehyde.