Regulating monolayer WO4 tetrahedral units to promote a sustainable 4,4-Bisphenol-A industrial process

Catalysts for 4,4-Bisphenol-A (BPA) production have moved from mineral acid (HCl) to bi-functional (-SO3H and-SH) resins, with high performance but limited lifespan while non-regenerable. How to achieve regenerable acidic catalysts with comparable performance as resin catalysts remains a challenge. Here, using a facile and rational approach, we present that the Indium and Titanium dual-doped W-based catalysts give full acetone (ACT) conversion within 2 h at > 96% 4,4-BPA selectivity, being higher than those over commercial resin catalysts. X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) analysis reveal that the well-organized monolayer WO4 tetrahedral units promoted by In and Ti act as the active species, being highly stable up to 800 degrees C and regenerable via simple calcination. The performance has been validated via life test (> 8000 h) using crude phenol feedstock. This advance will give strong impacts on sus-tainable industrial processes beyond 4,4-BPA production, with great potential extending to other acid catalyzed reactions.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed a regenerable acidic catalyst for 4,4-Bisphenol-A (BPA) production, achieving full acetone conversion with high selectivity. The catalyst, doped with indium and titanium, exhibits stable and comparable performance to commercial resin catalysts, and can be easily regenerated through calcination. The catalyst's potential extends beyond BPA production to other acid catalyzed reactions.