Highly Efficient Ru@IL/AC To Substitute Mercuric Catalyst for Acetylene Hydrochlorination

We synthesized a series of Ru@IL/AC catalysts using the incipient wetness impregnation technique associated with five kinds of ionic liquids, aiming to explore an efficient nonmercuric catalyst for the acetylene hydrochlorination reaction. Over the optimal 1%Ru@15%TPPB/AC catalyst, the acetylene conversion was maintained at 99.7% at 48 h (T = 170 °C, GHSVC2H2 = 360 h–1, and VHCl/VC2H2 = 1.15). Additionally, with lower Ru loading (0.2%Ru@15%TPPB/AC), the acetylene conversion still remained at 99.3% within 400 h. Characterized by CO pulse chemisorption, TEM, XPS, TGA, among other methods, it is indicated that TPPB IL could effectively improve the dispersion of Ru species, suppress the reduction of active Ru species, and inhibit the coke deposition during the acetylene hydrochlorination reaction. The interactive mechanism between TPPB and the reactants and the product was investigated to disclose the effect of TPPB IL on the catalytic performance of Ru-based catalyst, in combination with DFT calculations. The enhanced activity and long-term stability of Ru@IL/AC suggest the promising industrial application as the nonmercuric catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination.