Ethylene Dimerization in the Presence of Supported Palladium, Nickel, and Cobalt Oxides: Effect of the Nature of the Support

Palladium, nickel, and cobalt oxides supported on the surface of various porous materials (γ‑Al2O3, B2O3/Al2O3, activated carbon, Sibunit) were studied as ethylene dimerization catalysts. It was found that the use of alumina supports is crucial for synthesizing palladium- and nickel-containing catalysts exhibiting activity in ethylene dimerization. Supporting on carbon materials leads to the systems containing palladium and nickel mostly in the metallic state, which does not provide the occurrence of ethylene conversion reactions. Cobalt-containing catalysts, conversely, are most active in the case of supporting on a carbon surface, on which CoO particles are formed. These catalysts, due to low acid site concentrations on their surface, have an advantage in terms of achieving the maximum yield of butene-1, which is the most sought-after product of ethylene dimerization.