Hydrogenation of phenol over supported platinum and palladium catalysts

Abstract

The vapour-phase hydrogenation of phenol over platinum and palladium supported on alumina and xeolite LTL was studied in a vertical fixed-bed high-pressure reactor. The major products of the hydrogenation reaction were cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol with cyclohexane, cyclohexene and benzene as the minor products. The selectivity for the major products was upto 99%, the conversion being influenced by temperature, feed rate and the partial pressure of hydrogen. Platinum catalysts were found to be better for the production of cyclohexanol while palladium catalysts favoured cyclohexanone production. The platinum catalysts also showed twice as much overall conversion as the palladium catalysts.