Design of Cu-based catalysts with high-activity and tunable-selectivity in hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate

Ethylene glycol (EG) is an important basic raw material and chemical intermediate, which is often used as solvent, antifreeze, lubricant, plasticizer, surfactant and mainly used to synthesize polyester resins and fibers, etc. Currently, the annual demand of EG is more than 20 million tons, while about half of the market demand is in China. There is a lot of attention on developing efficient methods of the synthesis of EG do to its unique properties and demand. The intermediate product, methyl glycolate (MG) is also a valuable product in this route as well. MG is extensively applied in the synthesis of pharmaceutical products, fine chemicals and perfumes. Currently, the syngas route have been also developed for the synthesis of MG. The Cu-based catalysts have been extensively applied in this reaction, owing to their selective activity in the hydrogenation of C=O/C?O bonds. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Partner:

Tianjin University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

Western University

Program: