Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol to 1,3-propanediol under Low Hydrogen Pressure over WOx-Supported Single/Pseudo-Single Atom Pt Catalyst

Single/pseudo-single atom Pt catalyst was prepared on mesoporous WOx. The large surface area and abundant oxygen vacancies of WOx improve the Pt dispersion and stabilize the Pt isolation. This newly prepared catalyst exhibited outstanding hydrogenolysis activity under 1 MPa H-2 pressure with a very high space-time yield towards 1,3-propanediol (3.78 g g(Pt)(-1) h(-1)) in Pt-W catalysts. The highly isolated Pt structure is thought to contribute to the excellent H-2 dissociation capacity over Pt/WOx. The high selectivity towards 1,3-propanediol is attributed to the heterolytic dissociation of H-2 at the interface of Pt and WOx (providing specific Bronsted acid sites and the concerted dehydration-hydrogenation reaction) and the bond formation between glycerol and WOx, which favors/stabilizes the formation of a secondary carbocation intermediate as well as triggers the redox cycle of the W species (W6+ reversible arrow QW(5+)).