Efficient hydrogenation of diethyl oxalate to mono-ethylene glycol using Cu/SiO2 catalyst

The economics of the hydrogenation process is driven by the cost of hydrogen (H2) and the amount of H2 required for the process. Diethyl oxalate (DEO) hydrogenation to mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) is hitherto extensively studied at a very high H2 to diethyl oxalate (H2/DEO) ratio. The objective of this study was to investigate DEO to MEG hydrogenation reaction at significantly lower values of H2/DEO ratio. The Cu/SiO2 catalyst synthesized by the deposition-precipitation method was used in the present work. The characterization of this catalyst suggested high values of the surface area and pore volume and small pore diameter. The catalyst comprised well-dispersed and nano-sized particles. Upon reduction, the presence of Cu+ and Cu0 sites which are necessary for the reaction, was evident. The parametric study was performed at optimized conditions with an H2/DEO ratio as low as 25. DEO conversion was 84% and MEG selectivity was 62%.