Brookhaven lab researchers develop catalyst to dehydrate ethanol quicker with less waste
In New York state, ethanol is an alcohol used in a vast number of industrial and household applications. When dehydrogenated—in this case, stripped of some of its hydrogen atoms—it yields another important compound: acetaldehyde, which is used to make resins, dyes, perfumes and synthetic flavors, among many other products. But currently available catalysts for ethanol dehydrogenation suffer from deactivation, poor performance over time and unwanted side reactions.
A good catalyst is essential for a reaction because it can improve production, allowing a product to be made more cheaply and quickly. At the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, a collaboration between Brookhaven researchers and international scientists has developed a catalyst that facilitates ethanol dehydrogenation more quickly and with less waste than other catalysts, including metals such as copper and nickel. These catalysts suffer from several major issues, including a tendency to clump together or break down the ethanol too much.
Category: Research
