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Highly Acidic, γ-Al2O3 Nanorods and SiO2 Nanoparticles Recovered from Solid Wastes as Promising Catalysts for Production of Ethylene and Diethyl Ether Biofuels

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Abstract

Herein, low-cost, highly acidic γ-Al2O3 and silica were recovered from aluminum cans and silica beads wastes, respectively, using simple precipitation method. The prepared catalysts underwent thorough characterization using various techniques, including Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements. Quantitative and qualitative measurements of total surface acidity, including Brönsted and Lewis acidity types, were determined through temperature-programmed desorption of pyridine (PY-TPD) and dimethyl pyridine (DMPY-TPD) as probe molecules. The prepared catalysts were tested in the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene and diethyl ether at a temperature range of 300–400 °C. The results revealed that the γ-Al2O3 catalyst outperformed silica at all reaction temperatures. Various kinetic parameters were investigated for the γ-Al2O3 catalyst within a temperature range of 200–400 °C, including the impact of weight hourly space velocity. Additionally, the catalyst exhibited impressive stability throughout four consecutive catalytic cycles, highlighting its durability over time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanocomposite Catalysts Lab., Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science at Qena, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt

    Abouelhassan A. Gomaa & Adel Abdelkader

  2. State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, China

    Abouelhassan A. Gomaa

  3. Analytical Chemistry Lab., Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science at Qena, South Valley University, Qena, 83523, Egypt

    Mahmoud Khodari

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Gomaa, A.A., Abdelkader, A. & Khodari, M. Highly Acidic, γ-Al2O3 Nanorods and SiO2 Nanoparticles Recovered from Solid Wastes as Promising Catalysts for Production of Ethylene and Diethyl Ether Biofuels. Waste Biomass Valor (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-024-02518-z

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