The carbonylation of formaldehyde
offers a promising,
cost-effective,
and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing glycolic acid,
a crucial monomer in biodegradable plastics. This study highlights
the development and optimization of a bifunctional PdO/ZSM-5 zeolite
catalyst for this process. Investigations via various spectroscopic
techniques reveal that Pd species, predominantly in the form of PdO,
enhance the CO activation, thereby boosting the formaldehyde carbonylation
reaction rate significantly. The optimal catalytic performance was
observed with a Pd-loading of 2 wt %. Notably, excessive Pd loading
was found to impede the catalytic performance by overoccupying acid
sites, thereby reducing its capacity to activate formaldehyde. The
concurrent activation of formaldehyde and CO at the Brønsted
acid site and the PdO site, respectively, through a Langmuir–Hinshelwood
mechanism is key to the enhanced catalytic performance. These findings
underscore the importance of CO activation in improving the formaldehyde
carbonylation process, offering vital insights for catalyst optimization.