Catalysts Based on Nanoscale Iron and Cobalt Immobilized on Polymers for Catalytic Oxidation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Synthesis, Physico-Chemical Studies, and Tests of Catalytic Activity

Abstract

It is known that highly efficient catalysts for the catalytic oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons can be obtained based on magnetic nanoparticles. The development of nanosized magnetically controlled catalysts for the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons with oxygen deserves especially close attention in the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which does not have its own industrial production of oxygen-containing compounds. The aim of this work is to create catalysts based on Fe and Co nanoparticles stabilized with polymers: polyvinylpyrrolidone, chitosan, and polyethylenimine, study them by methods of physico-chemical research, and conduct preliminary tests of catalysts to predict their effectiveness. Magnetic nanoparticles were prepared by the co-precipitation method. Based on the results of the SEM analysis, it was concluded that polymers form composites together with metal nanocrystals. According to preliminary data, the most efficient oxidation of phenol in a non-flowing glass gradient-free thermostated duck-type reactor occurs on Fe3O4/chitosan, with the phenol conversion being 55–60%. Tests on the oxidation of phenol with oxygen showed a favorable prognosis for the use of such catalysts for the oxidative conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons in order to obtain valuable intermediates.