ZnTa-TUD-1 as an easily prepared, highly efficient catalyst for the selective conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene

High performances in the conversion of ethanol to 1,3-butadiene were achieved with a Zn(ii) and Ta(v) catalyst supported on TUD-1, a mesoporous silica. The selectivity reached 73% after 3 h at 94% conversion. At an increased ethanol flow, the initial productivity increased to 2.45 g(1,3-BD) g(cat)(-1) h(-1), which remained stable for 60 h on stream, making it the most productive catalyst according to the literature. Preliminary characterization suggests that its morphological and acid properties contribute to these exceptional performances.