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Tailoring the coordination environment of Co-Sn active sites via zinc aluminate spinel support for highly chemoselective hydrogenation of methyl oleate
Author(s)
Date Issued
January 1, 2027
Type
Article
Abstract
The chemoselective hydrogenation of methyl oleate to oleyl alcohol was investigated over Co-Sn catalysts supported on zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4). The ZA-M support, synthesized via a methanol-mediated solvothermal route, provided a high specific surface area (296.8 m2/g) and an optimized mesoporous structure. Sequential NaBH4 and H2 reduction finely tuned the coordination of active sites, enabling the optimized 2Co4SnBH/ZA-M catalyst to achieve a superior oleyl alcohol yield (33.58%) and a high selectivity (65.39%) at a conversion level of 51.36% via a direct hydrogenation pathway. Based on bulk and surface characterizations, a fraction of cobalt was found to remain in a cationic state, stabilized within a network of interfacial Co-O-Sn complexes and framework CoAl2O4. These species are proposed to function as bifunctional active centers, where the Snn+/Sn0 species and neighboring Co2+ sites cooperatively enhance the chemoselectivity toward C=O reduction. Furthermore, the optimized catalyst demonstrated reasonable structural stability and reusability over four cycles, maintaining its catalytic viability despite a minor extent of metal leaching. These findings underscore the efficacy of spinel-supported ionic-metallic ensembles for the highly chemoselective and efficient hydrogenation of long-chain fatty acid methyl esters.
Citation
Biomass and Bioenergy, 216, 2027