The Effect of Catalytic Structure Modification on Hydrogenolysis of Glycerol into 1,3-Propanediol over Platinum Nanoparticles and Ordered Mesoporous Alumina Assembled Catalysts

To increase the Brønsted acid sites and the dispersion of Pt, and decrease the loss of Pt during reuse, a structurally modified PtNPs-HSiW/mAl2O3 catalyst was synthesized by assembling platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) into ordered mesoporous alumina. N2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy showed that PtNPs-HSiW/mAl2O3 exhibited a significantly different structure from impregnated Pt-HSiW/γ-Al2O3: short-range ordered mesopores, large surface area, and special structure where PtNPs were assembled in the mesopores of alumina. Further pyridine-IR, CO adsorption, and inductively coupled plasma analyses showed that with the structural modification, the Brønsted acidity increased from 12.0 to 30.3 μmol/g, the Pt dispersion increased from 15.0 to 35.4%, and the loss of Pt decreased from 4.54 to 0.59 wt % during reuse. Finally, PtNPs-HSiW/mAl2O3 exhibited a 13.8% higher 1,3-PDO selectivity and more stable yields over reuse than Pt-HSiW/γ-Al2O3. It provided a reference that structural modification influences 1,3-PDO production by altering Brønsted acidity, Pt dispersion, and loss of Pt during reuse.