Monolithic Ru-based catalyst for selective hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexene

A novel Ru-based cordierite monolithic catalyst was prepared for the selective hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexene. The catalyst was characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, SEM-EDX and physisorption measurements. The performance of the catalyst was tested in a continuous monolithic fixed bed reactor (MFBR). Compared with particulate catalyst, the monolithic catalyst gave much higher selectivity. Monolithic catalyst with ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ as washcoating was found to be more active than that with Al₂O₃ as washcoating and a high cyclohexene yield of about 30% was achieved at a relatively lower LHSV. The egg-shell distribution of the active component, the large pores in the walls of cordierite monolith and the Taylor flow pattern formed in the monolith channels were considered to be the crucial reasons.