Sustainable solvent-free selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol using Ru(0) supported on alumina

The selective oxidation of primary alcohols into their corresponding carbonyl compounds is challenging because of the easy over oxidization to acids and esters. The traditional reaction requires large amounts of solvent and oxidant, causing serious environmental issues. Recently, several efforts hav...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Aneggi, Eleonora, Campagnolo, Filippo, Zuccaccia, Daniele, Baratta, Walter, Llorca Piqué, Jordi|||0000-0002-7447-9582, Trovarelli, Alessandro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/393032
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/393032
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/inorganics11050177
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Catalysis
Ruthenium
Heterogeneous catalysis
Selective oxidation
Sustainable process
E-factor
Benzyl alcohol
Catàlisi
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química
Descripción
Sumario:The selective oxidation of primary alcohols into their corresponding carbonyl compounds is challenging because of the easy over oxidization to acids and esters. The traditional reaction requires large amounts of solvent and oxidant, causing serious environmental issues. Recently, several efforts have been made to transform the reaction into a more sustainable process. Here, we investigated the solvent-free oxidation of benzyl alcohol using air as a green oxidant in the presence of ruthenium supported on alumina and zirconia, thereby meeting atom economy and environmental requirements. The materials were extensively characterized and, in addition to their activity, selectivity, and reusability, the environmental sustainability of the process was assessed according to green chemistry metrics. XRD, TEM, and XPS analyses suggest that the formation of metallic Ru on the support plays a key role in the catalytic activity. Ru supported on alumina, after a reduction treatment, achieves good activity (62% conversion) and a complete selectivity in a very sustainable process (without a solvent and with air as oxidant), as indicated by the very low E-factor value. The formulation is very stable and maintains high activity after recycling.