Study of the Influence Exerted by Zinc Additive on the Structure and Catalytic Properties of Pd/Al2O3 Catalysts for Liquid-Phase Hydrogenation of Acetylene

Effect of the phase composition of aluminum oxide [γ- and (δ + θ) phase] and introduction of zinc additives on the catalytic properties of 0.5% Pd/Al2O3 systems in the reaction of liquid-phase hydrogenation of acetylene into ethylene under an elevated pressure in a flow-through mode was studied. An increase in the activity of the Pd catalyst upon modification with zinc is only observed in the case of a system supported by the mixed phase of (δ + θ) aluminum oxide. XAFS spectroscopy was used to find that the increase in the activity and selectivity with respect to ethylene (in the presence of carbon monoxide) on the (0.5% Pd–0.62% Zn)/(δ + θ)-Al2O3 catalyst is correlated with the formation of the PdZn intermetallic compound.