Method for the production of supported catalysts

A catalyst system in the form of a supported catalyst, wherein the catalyst system is obtained according to a method for the production of a catalyst system comprising at least one catalytically active component in the form of a supported catalyst,

• wherein at least one catalytically active component is fixed to a catalyst support, said catalytically active component comprising at least one metal, said metal being selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, Zn, Hg, Sn, Ce, Ti, Zr, V, Nb, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Fe, Bi, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Re, Ir, Ni, Pd and Pt, wherein the method comprises the following steps in the sequence (a) to (d) specified below:
• (a) providing an initial spherical activated carbon used as catalyst support,
• wherein the initial activated carbon
• (i) has a total pore volume Vtotal according to Gurvich in the range from 0.8 cm3/g to 3.9 cm3/g, wherein from 50% to 90% of the total pore volume according to Gurvich of the initial activated carbon is formed by pores having pore diameters in the range of from 2 nm to 500 nm, and
• (ii) has a specific BET surface area SBET in the range of from 1,000 m2/g to 3,000 m2/g, however, with the proviso that the ratio Q of the total pore volume Vtotal according to Gurvich to the specific BET surface area SBET according to the equation
• Q=Vtotal/SBET is in the range of from 0.5×10−9 m to 1.9×10−9 m;
• then
• (b) oxidation of the initial activated carbon provided in method step (a), however, with the at least one of the two following provisos (i) and (ii):
• (i) a first proviso according to which first proviso the oxidized activated carbon has an oxygen content, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in the range of from 4 atomic % to 20 atomic % based on the total element composition of the oxidized activated carbon, and
• (ii) a second proviso according to which second proviso the oxidized activated carbon has a hydrophilicity, determined as water-vapor adsorption behavior, such that from 30% to 100% of the maximum water-vapor saturation loading of the oxidized activated carbon is reached at a partial pressure p/p0 of 0.6;
• then
• (c) providing the oxidized activated carbon obtained in method step (b) with the at least one catalytically active component;
• then
• (d) reducing the oxidized activated carbon provided with the at least one catalytically active component, obtained in method step (c), wherein method step (d) of reducing is carried out as a gas phase reduction at a temperature in the range of from 115° C. to 160° C., so that a catalyst system comprising at least one catalytically active component is obtained;
• wherein the catalyst system obtained has an activity, determined as the percentage dispersion degree of the catalytically active component on the catalyst support and measured by chemisorption using a dynamic flow method according to DIN 66136-3:2007-01, in the range of from 15% to 90%;
• and
• wherein the catalyst system comprises the at least one catalytically active component with an average crystallite size, determined according to DIN 66136, in the range of from 5 Ångstrøm to 80 Ångstrøm.