Sorbitol hydrogenolysis over Ni, Pt and Ru supported on NaY

The hydrogenolysis of sorbitol into 1,2-propanediol (PD), ethylene glycol (EG) and glycerol (G) was investigated over Ni, Pt and Ru supported on NaY at 220 °C and 60 bar in a batch reactor. Ni(6 %)-NaY was investigated in detail at different process conditions, including its recyclability. Attempts have been made to rationalize the experimentally observed conversion and product selectivity obtained over the different catalysts with results of Density Functional Theory calculations of adsorption energy and bond length changes in sorbitol adsorbed over various planes of Ni, Pt and Ru. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.