Ru- based catalysts for conversion of ethanol to butanol: effect of acid-base and redox properties

In this paper the catalytic conversion of ethanol produced by ABE fermentation of Agrofood waste (AFW) into a more valuable bio-fuel, as butanol, is reported. The process involves the dimerization of ethanol to butanol, generally known as Guerbet reaction. A lab-scale rig has been developed for the screening of heterogeneous catalysts suitably synthesized for the conversion of ethanol into butanol. Catalysts with different surface properties have been prepared in order to investigate the effect of the presence of acid and basic surface sites coupled with the addition of small amounts of an active metal (Ru, Ni) providing hydrogenation - dehydrogenation properties