Chrome-free copper catalysts for fatty ester hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation

Abstract

A method of preparing a calcined hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation catalyst includes mixing a copper-containing material, manganese-containing material, sodium aluminate, and water to obtain an aqueous slurry; contacting the aqueous slurry with a caustic material to form a precipitate in a caustic aqueous slurry; removing the precipitate from the caustic aqueous slurry; and removing residual water from the precipitate to form a dried precipitate; calcining the dried precipitate to form the calcined hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation catalyst exhibiting a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (“BET”) surface area of about 5 m2/g to about 75 m2/g. The calcined hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation catalyst may include a spinel structure crystallite size of about 15 nm or less. The calcined hydrogenolysis/hydrogenation catalyst may include a tenorite crystallite size of about 20 nm to 30 nm.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.