Ethanol Conversion to C(4+)Olefins over Bimetallic Copper- And Lanthanum-Containing Beta Zeolite Catalysts

Ethanol conversion to C4+olefins remains a critical yet nonselectiveprocess for producing renewable middle distillates. Here, Cu-La/Beta catalystscomposed of copper and lanthanum incorporated onto a dealuminated Betasupport are reported for ethanol conversion to C4+olefins (73% selectivity,similar to 98%ethanol conversion, 623 K,<4% C1-C3hydrocarbons) which particularly favors C5+olefin formation (43% selectivity) as a distinction from the benchmarking Cu-Y/Beta catalyst. Monometallic Cu/Beta or La/Beta samples are insufficient to catalyzethe C4+olefin formation and primarily form dehydration products (e.g., ethyleneand diethyl ether), indicating the necessity of both Cu and La species for buteneand C5+olefin formation. Increasing the bulk La loading at afixed Cu content yieldshigher C5+olefins until the La/Cu molar ratio reaches 3.6. Thesefindings indicate Cu-La/Beta as an effective ethanol conversioncatalyst that facilitates multiple C-C bond formation events required for synthesizing C5+olefins (i.e., hexenes and octenes).