Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Structure and Catalytic Performance of K_2WO_4/Al_2O_3 Catalysts for Methanethiol Synthesis

The effect of calcination temperature on the surface morphology and catalytic performance of the K2WO4/Al2O3 catalyst prepared by the sol-gel method for the synthesis of methanethiol from methanol and hydrogen sulfide was investigated.Physicochemical characterization results of the catalyst showed that the K2WO4 is well dispersed on Al2O3,and the catalyst possesses uniform particle size after calcination at 450 or 550 oC.With increasing the calcination temperature,the specific surface area decreases,the interaction of W species with Al2O3 was weakened,but strengthened with basic species,leading to the decrease of surface acidity and basicity.No Brnsted acid was found on the catalyst surface.The catalytic activity of the catalyst is closely related with the specific surface area and the presence of conjugate acid-base pairs on the surface.Activity assay results show that the catalyst calcined at 550 oC exhibits the highest activity for the reac-tion.