In my master’s thesis, the focus was placed on investigating the influence of combining different metals for the dehydroxylation of mucic acid into adipic acid. This process represents a more sustainable alternative to the conventional oxidation of cyclohexane, which generates environmentally harmful NO$_x$ emissions.
Within this framework, the reaction pathway from aldaric acids to adipic acid was also examined. The key step in this transformation is the so-called dehydroxylation. This reaction involves the removal of hydroxyl groups catalyzed by rhenium, leading to the formation of an unsaturated ester. The latter plays a crucial role in the subsequent conversion to adipic acid.
Based on prior studies and the experimental work conducted in the scope of my bachelor’s thesis, where two separate monometallic catalysts were employed, we hypothesized that the use of bimetallic catalysts supported on carbon could enhance catalytic efficiency. To test this, we used a commercially available rhenium catalyst on carbon as the baseline material and introduced various metals at different concentrations by impregnation.
The results demonstrated that bimetallic catalysts indeed further improved the yields. The most effective system was identified as 8Pd–Re/C, which could serve as a promising basis for implementing bimetallic catalysts in the industrial production of adipic acid.
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