The new “green” catalyst will allow the production of butadiene for rubber from ethyl alcohol. Reported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Almost all household items in the modern world use polymer parts, and rubber is one of them. These days, almost all rubber is made synthetically rather than made from natural rubber. The standard substitute for natural rubber is butadiene, usually derived from petroleum products or natural gas. Developed country governments are trying to reduce the use of these resources and therefore are looking for substitutes.
A group of scientists led by Chon Sanho has created a new catalyst for the production of butadiene from ethyl alcohol. This reaction itself has been known since 1928, but was deemed unsuitable for mass production. In general, a mixture of hydrogen and alcohol had to be heated to 500 degrees and passed through metal oxides. The new work made it possible to make this reaction more competitive by using a silicon and magnesium oxide-based catalyst.
To do this, the scientists watched the change in the structure and composition of the particles of these oxides when processed in a water mixer. Experiments have shown that interactions between magnesium and silicon oxides lead to the emergence of two different types of particles. One of them accelerated the production of butadiene, the second interfered with it, contributing to the formation of ethylene, a byproduct of butadiene synthesis.
Understanding this allowed the scientists to optimize the process and develop an approach that would theoretically help create magnesium-silicon catalysts that would theoretically produce minimal amounts of ethylene and other byproducts for butadiene synthesis in the near future.
The authors hope that with the help of their technology it will be possible to start the production of “green” rubber, the price of which will be comparable to conventional rubber from petroleum.
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