Hydrogenation of methyl isobutyl ketone over bifunctional Pt–zeolite catalyst

Methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) can be viewed as a key intermediate for the conversion of biomass-derived acetone – the by-product of biobutanol production – to transportation fuel. Zeolite H-ZSM-5 doped with Pt nanoparticles was found to be a highly efficient catalyst for gas-phase hydrogenation of MIBK to methylpentanes with >99% yield at 200 °C. The reaction proceeds via bifunctional metal-acid catalysed pathway involving MIBK hydrogenation to 4-methyl-2-pentanol (MP-ol) on metal sites followed by MP-ol dehydration on acid sites to form olefin and finally olefin hydrogenation to 2-methylpentane (2MP) on metal sites, with all three steps occurring on a single catalyst bed. 2MP thus obtained underwent isomerisation over bifunctional Pt/H-ZSM-5 catalyst to give a mixture of 2- and 3-methylpentanes in a ratio of 83:17. The catalyst did not show any deactivation for at least 16 h on stream.