Authors
Mengting Zhang, Ruxin Li, Jun Yu, Weili Dai
Published in
Chem & bio engineering. Volume 2. Issue 9. Pages 520-529. Sep 25, 2025. Epub Jun 26, 2025.
Abstract
The conversion of biomass fermentation liquor has garnered significant attention due to its potential for sustainable chemical production. Particularly, the transformation of an acetone-ethanol mixture, derived from the separation of high-value butanol, into other valuable compounds represents a critical advancement in biorefinery processes. Herein, we present a high-efficiency Zr/Beta zeolite catalyst for the conversion of an acetone-ethanol mixture into propene. Through systematic optimization, the optimal catalyst 5%Zr/Beta achieves a high propene yield (37.8%) with a propene selectivity of 67%. Spectroscopic results reveal that the conversion of acetone and ethanol primarily proceeds via the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction at Zr sites to form the isopropanol intermediate, followed by acid-catalyzed dehydration to propene facilitated by Si-OH groups. The high propene selectivity is due to the minor side reaction of converting acetone to isobutene, accompanied by the accumulation of cyclic unsaturated aldehydes/ketones and aromatic compounds deposited on the Zr active sites, leading to catalyst deactivation. Additionally, the Zr/Beta catalyst demonstrates good regenerability, which could recover to the initial state after a facile calcination process in air. This work offers a promising approach for the synthesis of propene from a biomass-derived acetone-ethanol mixture, contributing to the development of sustainable catalytic processes for biorefinery applications.
PMID:
41031318
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Oct 2025.
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