Acrylonitrile (ACN) is a petroleum-derived compound used in resins, polymers, acrylics, and carbon fiber. We present a process for renewable ACN production using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be produced microbially from sugars. The process achieves ACN molar yields exceeding 90% from ethyl 3-hydroxypropanoate (ethyl 3-HP) via dehydration and nitrilation with ammonia over an inexpensive titanium dioxide solid acid catalyst. We further describe an integrated process modeled at scale that is based on this chemistry and achieves near-quantitative ACN yields (98 ± 2%) from ethyl acrylate. This endothermic approach eliminates runaway reaction hazards and achieves higher yields than the standard propylene ammoxidation process. Avoidance of hydrogen cyanide as a by-product also improves process safety and mitigates product handling requirements.

Quantifying specific active sites in supported catalysts improves our understanding and assists in rational design. Supported oxides can undergo significant structural changes as surface densities increase from site‐isolated cations to monolayers and crystallites, which changes the number of kinetically relevant sites. Herein, TiOx domains are titrated on TiOx–SiO2 selectively with phenylphosphonic acid (PPA). An ex situ method quantifies all fluid‐accessible TiOx, whereas an in situ titration during cis‐cyclooctene epoxidation provides previously unavailable values for the number of tetrahedral Ti sites on which H2O2 activation occurs. We use this method to determine the active site densities of 22 different catalysts with different synthesis methods, loadings, and characteristic spectra and find a single intrinsic turnover frequency for cis‐cyclooctene epoxidation of (40±7) h−1. This simple method gives molecular‐level insight into catalyst structure that is otherwise hidden when bulk techniques are used.

Succinic acid is a biomass-derived platform chemical that can be catalytically converted in the aqueous phase to 1,4-butanediol (BDO), a prevalent building block used in the polymer and chemical industries. Despite significant interest, limited work has been reported regarding sustained catalyst performance and stability under continuous aqueous-phase process conditions. As such, this work examines Ru-Sn on activated carbon (AC) for the aqueous-phase conversion of succinic acid to BDO under batch and flow reactor conditions. Initially, powder Ru-Sn catalysts were screened to determine the most effective bimetallic ratio and provide a comparison to other monometallic (Pd, Pt, Ru) and bimetallic (Pt-Sn, Pd-Re) catalysts. Batch reactor tests determined that a ∼1:1 metal weight ratio of Ru to Sn was effective for producing BDO in high yields, with complete conversion resulting in 82% molar yield. Characterization of the fresh Ru-Sn catalyst suggests that the sequential loading method results in Ru sites that are colocated and surface-enriched with Sn. Postbatch reaction characterization confirmed stable Ru-Sn material properties; however, upon a transition to continuous conditions, significant Ru-Sn/AC deactivation occurred due to stainless steel leaching of Ni that resulted in Ru-Sn metal crystallite restructuring to form discrete Ni-Sn sites. Computational modeling confirmed favorable energetics for Ru-Sn segregation and Ni-Sn formation at submonolayer Sn incorporation. To address stainless steel leaching, reactor walls were treated with an inert silica coating by chemical vapor deposition. With leaching reduced, stable Ru-Sn/AC performance was observed that resulted in a molar yield of 71% BDO and 15% tetrahydrofuran for 96 h of time on stream. Postreaction catalyst characterization confirmed low levels of Ni and Cr deposition, although early-stage islanding of Ni-Sn will likely be problematic for industrially relevant time scales (i.e., thousands of hours). Overall, these results (i) demonstrate the performance of Ru-Sn/AC for aqueous phase succinic acid reduction, (ii) provide insight into the Ru-Sn bimetallic structure and deactivation in the presence of leached Ni, and (iii) underscore the importance of compatible reactor metallurgy and durable catalysts.

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Removal of NOx species form automotive emissions continues to be a challenge, particularly using replacements for Pt-group metals. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of FeOx domains on CeO 2 from the precursor Fe ethylenediaminetetraacetate (NaFeEDTA) and its utility in the reduction of NO with H 2 as a model reaction for tailpipe emissions. Diffuse-reflectance UV-visible and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopies indicate the formation of small, non-crystalline FeOx domains. Using the EDTA precursor, TPR and in situ XANES show that up to 45% of the FeOx centers were capable of undergoing redox cycles in H 2 up to 550°C, whereas only 23% of FeOx centers derived from Fe(NO 3) 3 were redox active. Similarly, at comparable Fe surface densities, the FeEDTA-derived catalysts were more active than the nitrate-derived materials in the reduction of NO to N 2 (85-95% selectivity) with H 2 at 450°C. The presence of both the bulky organic ligand and the alkali are essential for the observed enhancements in fraction redox active and to achieve high NO reduction rates. Rates over all materials were fit to a single correlation against the number of redox-active FeOx