Liquid-phase Oxidation of Ethylene Glycol on a Pt/C Catalyst. II. Kinetic Studies

Abstract

Catalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol in an alkaline aqueous solution over a Pt/C catalyst by oxygen was studied in a slurry reactor at 40°C and ambient pressure. Under our experimental conditions, the interphase and intraparticle mass transfer resistances were found to be insignificant. The catalyst deactivation observed during the course of experiments can be ascribed to the formation of some oxidized species of platinum and/or to the adsorption of some by-products on the catalyst surface, and the decay of catalyst activity is consistent with a first order consecutive process, as described in the previous paper. The rate of reaction can be expressed by a power-law model under the conditions used. The orders of reaction with respect to ethylene glycol, sodium hydroxide and oxygen were estimated to be 0.20, 0.34 and zero, respectively. The mechanism of this reaction is discussed.