Catalysis Today, Vol.123, No.1-4, 189-197, 2007
Kinetics of propylene epoxidation using H-2 and O-2 over a gold/mesoporous titanosilicate catalyst
The oxidation of propylene to propylene oxide (PO) with hydrogen-oxygen mixtures was studied on gold supported on the mesoporous titanium silicate, Ti-TUD. The catalyst gave stable activity at low conversions of propylene (< 6%) and high selectivity to PO (> 95%). Kinetic data were fit to a power-rate law and gave the following expression: r(PO) = k(H-2)(0.54) (O-2)(0.24)(C3H6)(0.36). The fractional orders in hydrogen, oxygen, and propylene indicated that these reactants interacted with the catalyst to form species that led to the final PO product. The catalyst likely operated by the commonly accepted mechanism of hydrogen peroxide production on gold sites, and epoxidation on titanium centers. Carbon dioxide was formed primarily from further oxidation of PO rather than the oxidation of propylene, while water was produced from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.