Fly‐Ash Cenosphere as Non‐Porous Ag‐Nanoparticle Support for Epoxidation of Styrene

Abstract

The global strategy to reduce waste production implies development of recycling technologies and conversion of various waste into value‐added products. Fly ash is an industrial waste produced in a large amount. It comprised an aluminosilicate cenosphere, which seems perspective as a support for heterogeneous catalysts. Here we report the preparation and application of heterogeneous silver nanocatalysts deposited on cenosphere in the epoxidation reaction, a relevant process for preparation of valuable organic precursors and target chemicals. Reductive wet deposition method yields Ag nano‐dispersed coating of improved quality represented by Ag particles of about 2.7 nm on the surface of the microspheres size of 50–250 microns for catalytic synthesis of styrene‐oxide. The 0.1 mmol/g Ag/cenosphere provided best catalytic results with threefold excess of tret‐butyl hydroperoxide in acetonitrile at 80 °C. Comparison of fly ash cenosphere with other supports suggests that low porosity of microspherical support allows for an easier access of reagents to active sites of the catalyst and significantly increases the yield of epoxide and selectivity of the reaction.