Highly Efficient Hydrogenation of Methyl Propionate to Propanol over Hydrous Zirconia Supported Ruthenium

Hydrous zirconia supported ruthenium catalyst Ru/ZrO(2)center dot xH(2)O, prepared by co-precipitating ruthenium trichloride and zirconium oxychloride with ammonia, was able to catalyze efficiently methyl propionate to propanol under the mild conditions. In aqueous system, the propanol yield of > 99% was achieved under the conditions of reaction temperature of 150 degrees C and hydrogen pressure of 5.0 MPa, while in non-aqueous system the maximum propanol yield was only 47.0%. FTIR spectra and hydrogenation results indicated that the high catalytic performance of Ru/ZrO(2)center dot xH(2)O in aqueous phase results from the cooperation effect between water as a solvent and hydroxyl groups on the surface of carrier.