Selective Hydrogenation of Maleic Anhydride to Succinic Anhydride over Nickel Catalyst Supported on Carbon Microspheres

The colloidal carbon microspheres (CMS) were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The nickel catalysts supported on carbon microspheres (Ni/CMS) were further prepared and were characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the X-ray diffraction (XRD), the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the N-2 adsorption technique. The selective hydrogenation of maleic anhydride (MA) to succinic anhydride (SA) over the Ni/CMS catalysts was investigated. The results indicated that the Ni/CMS catalyst, which was prepared with glucose as carbon source and calcined at 500 degrees C, exhibited the best performance. The hydrogen pressure. reaction temperature, and reaction time could significantly affect the conversion of maleic anhydride during the hydrogenation reaction. A 98.4% conversion of MA and an 100% selectivity to SA were achieved over the Ni/CMS catalyst in acetic anhydride solvent under mild conditions covering a temperature of 90 degrees C, a H-2 pressure of 1.0 MPa, and a reaction time of 3 h.