Structural, textural and catalytic properties of pure and Li-doped NiO/Al2O3 and CuO/Al2O3 catalysts

Pure and Li-doped NiO/Al2O3 and CuO/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared to contain 2, 4 and 8 wt.% of Ni and Cu, respectively. The structural properties were determined using DTA, XRD and FTIR techniques, and the textural properties of the catalysts were determined from their adsorption–desorption isotherms of nitrogen at 77 K. The chemisorption of hydrogen at 473–823 K with the pre-reduced catalysts was measured. The data obtained allowed the determination of the metal surface area, S (m²/g); the percentage of metal distribution, R; and the diameter of metal crystallite, d (nm). The amount of surface acidity, measured in mmol/g, was determined from the amount of chemisorbed pyridine necessary to completely inhibit the catalytic dehydration (DHD) of isopropanol. The conversion of isopropanol at 533–623 K was investigated using the micro-catalytic pulse technique. DTA, XRD and FTIR indicated that NiO and CuO exist as separate phases with crystallite sizes too small to be detected. No evidence has been gathered to indicate the existence of an aluminate phase. With the increase of metal loading, the surface area decreased whereas the total pore volume and the mean pore radius increased. Conversion of iso-propanol to propene proceeded via (DHD) on surface acid sites, and conversion of isopropanol to acetone proceeded via dehydrogenation (DHG) on redox sites. DHD and DHG exhibited first-order kinetics, and the rates of both reactions increased with temperature, with the latter being more temperature-dependent.