A comparative study of Bi2WO6, CeO2, and TiO2 as catalysts for selective photo-oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds

Several semiconductors based on ceria or bismuth tungstate were tested for selective oxidation of alcohols to carbonyl compounds in a search for photocatalysts more selective than TiO2. Gas-phase selective photo-oxidation of propan-2-ol to acetone and liquid-phase transformation of 2-buten-1-ol (crotyl alcohol) to 2-butenal (crotonaldehyde) were studied as test reactions. In both processes the highest selectivities were achieved with Bi2WO6-based solids. Further studies on crotyl alcohol transformation evidenced the lower adsorption of the aldehyde on these systems which could minimize the decrease in crotyl alcohol yield observed for TiO2 or CeO2 at high conversions. Incorporation of titania (5% molar) to the Bi2WO6 system increased the reaction rate significantly whereas the aldehyde yield remained high. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.