Catalytic Reactivity of Phosphates With 1-butanol, Pure and in a Mixture With Acetone, Ethanol, Acetic-acid and Water

Phosphate catalytic systems (B-PO4, Al-PO4, Ca-Ni-PO4) were tested in transformation of 1-butanol, pure, and in a mixture typical of acetonobutylic fermentation feed, and compared with γ-Al2O3 dehydration catalyst. The phosphates were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption methods. Various 1-butanol reactions can occur, all engaging acidic and basic sites. B-PO4 has the convenient proportion between those sites to dehydrate pure 1-butanol to butenes, with a good activity and selectivity, like γ-Al2O3. Whereas Ca-Ni-PO4 dehydrogenates selectively 1-butanol into butyraldehyde. With the multicomponent mixture, a drop of catalytic activities is observed for phosphates and γ-Al2O3, due, probably, to the great amount of water in the substrate. B-PO4 dehydration activity is much better in that case than γ-Al2O3 one