Study of K/Mn-MgO Supported Fe Catalysts with Fe（CO）5 and Fe（NO3）3 as Precursors for CO Hydrogenation to Light Alkenes

Two K/Mn-MgO supported catalysts were prepared by Fe（CO）5 and Fe（NO3）3 as precursor respectively. The obtained Fe-K/Mn-MgO catalysts were tested for CO hydrogenation to light alkenes and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectra （XPS）, H2 temperature-programmed reduction （H2-TPR）, H2 CO and CO2 temperature-programmed desorption （H2, CO/CO2-TPD） and transmission electron microscope （TEM） The results indicated that the catalyst with 10 wt% Fe loading prepared by Fe（CO）5 as precursor showed better performance in syngas to light alkenes than ones obtained from Fe（NO3）3 as precursor, where the CO conversion was 62.50% and the selectivity was 55.95% at 350 ℃, 1.5 MPa and 1000 h^-1, respectively.     

柠檬酸辅助固相研磨法制备铜基催化剂及在CO_2加氢合成甲醇反应中的性能研究

通过柠檬酸辅助固相研磨法制备铜基催化剂,采用XRD、TPR、TG-DSC、SEM、BET、TEM、XPS、CO_2-TPD等手段对催化剂性能进行表征.结果表明室温固相研磨的前驱体在惰性气体N_2中焙烧使体系中的CuO绝大部分被原位还原成Cu~0,不需外加H_2还原,直接制得了C/I-Cu/ZnO催化剂,催化剂具有中孔.利用高压固定床连续反应装置对催化剂活性进行了评价,结果表明,柠檬酸用量、前驱体焙烧温度、焙烧升温速率等条件对催化剂活性产生影响,当C_6H_8O_7/(Cu+Zn)摩尔比为1.2/1并Cu/Zn摩尔比1/1,前驱体在N_2中以3 K·min~(-1)升温速率于623 K焙烧3 h,制得的C/I-Cu/ZnO催化剂比表面积最大,Cu~0粒径最小,在CO_2加氢合成甲醇反应中表现出最佳的活性,CO_2转化率、甲醇选择性和产率分别达到了28.28%、74.29%和21.01%.与外加H_2还原的C/H-Cu/ZnO催化剂相比,原位还原C/I-Cu/ZnO催化剂比表面积较大,Cu~0的粒径较小,活性较高.     

Temperature-programmed desorption/pulse surface reaction (tpd/tpsr) studies of CH4, C2H6, C2H4, and CO over a cobalt/MWNTs catalyst

Summary Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and CO and temperature-programmed pulse surface reactions (TPSR) of CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, CO, and CO/H₂ over a Co/MWNTs catalyst have been investigated. The TPD results indicated that CH₄ and C₂H₆ mainly exist as physisorbed species on the Co/MWNTs catalyst surface, whilst C₂H₄ and CO exist as both physisorbed and chemisorbed species. The TPSR results indicated that CH₄ and C₂H₆ do not undergo reaction between room temperature and 450^oC. Pulsed C₂H₄ can be transformed into CH₄ at 400 ^oC whilst pulsed CO can be transformed into CO₂ at 100 or 150^oC. In gaseous mixtures of CO and H₂ containing excess CO, the products of pulsed reaction were CH₃CHO and CH₃OH. When the ratio of CO and H₂ was 1:2, pulsed CO and H₂ were transformed into CH₃CHO, CH₃OH and CH₄. In H₂ gas flow, pulsed CO was transformed into a mixture of CH₃CHO and CH₄ between 200 and 250^oC and was transformed into CH₄ only above 250^oC.     

Studies on the synthesis of higher alcohol over modified Cu/ZnO/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalyst

Higher alcohol has been considered as a potential fuel additive. Higher alcohol, including C₂–C₄ alcohol was synthesized by catalytic conversion of syngas (with a ratio of CO/H₂?=?1) derived from natural gas over modified Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalyst. Modified Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts promoted by alkali metal (Li) for higher alcohol synthesis (HAS) were prepared at different pH (6, 6.5, 7, 8, and 9) by co-precipitation to control Cu surface area and characterized by N₂ physisorption, XRD, SEM, H₂-TPR and TPD. The HAS reaction was carried out under a pressure of 45 bar, GHSV of 4000 h^?1, ratio of H₂/CO?=?1, and temperature ranges of 240 and 280 °C. It was found that the malachite phase of copper causes the size of copper to be small, which is suitable for methanol synthesis. Methanol and HAS share a common catalytic active site and intermediate. It was also found that the productivity to higher alcohol was correlated with Cu surface area.     

Cu对K-LaZrO2异丁醇合成催化剂的影响

采用X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温脱附(TPD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱技术及富集法考察了K-LaZrO₂和K-CuLaZrO₂催化剂结构、CO和H₂在锆基催化剂上的吸附行为及异丁醇合成活性的影响. 结果表明, 催化剂添加Cu后, 与Zr形成较好的固溶体, 促进了CuO的分散, 且抑制了ZrO₂结晶, 增强Cu-Zr相互作用, 提高了催化活性. CO-TPD结果显示, 引入Cu后, 催化剂表面CO吸附量明显增加, 有利于碳链增长; H₂-TPD结果显示, 与活性相关的低温脱附氢量也明显增加. 另外, FTIR及富集法结果发现, Cu的引入促进了表面C₁物种的形成, 增加了表面C₁物种含量, 促进了碳链增长, 明显改善了异丁醇的选择性. 在p=10.0 MPa, 空速(GHSV)=3000 h^-1, T=360℃, V(H₂)/V(CO)=1:1条件下,异丁醇选择性达到48.5%.     

Cu/活性炭催化剂：水合肼还原制备及催化甲醇氧化羰基化

以活性炭为载体,水合肼为还原剂制备了负载型Cu/活性炭催化剂,考察了水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比对催化甲醇气相氧化羰基化性能的影响,并采用XRD、XPS、H2-TPR和SEM等手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,不加入还原剂水合肼时,催化剂中仅有CuO;随着水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比的增加,二价铜逐步被还原为Cu2O和/或单质Cu0,未被还原的Cu(OH)2在催化剂干燥过程中分解形成分散态CuO存在于催化剂表面。当水合肼/硝酸铜物质的量的比为0.75时,催化剂的催化性能最好,碳酸二甲酯的时空收率为120.62 mg.(g.h)-1,选择性为74.51%,甲醇转化率达到3.88%。在93 h反应时间内,催化剂都保持了较高的反应活性和选择性。此时铜物种以Cu2O和分散态CuO为主,Cu2O是主要的活性物种。     

过渡金属改性的Pd/TS-1催化氢、氧直接合成H_2O_2的性能

利用等体积浸渍法制备了M-Pd/TS-1(M=Ce,La,Pt,Fe,Co,Ni,Cr,Mn,Zn,Cd,Cu)系列催化剂,并将制得的催化剂用于常压下氢、氧直接合成过氧化氢的反应。考察了M的类型及负载量对M-Pd/TS-1催化剂催化性能的影响。结果表明,M选Ce时,催化剂的性能最好。Ce的最佳掺入量,n_(Ce)/(n_(Ce)+n_(Pd))=0.5%。对Ce改性与未改性的催化剂进行了TEM及静态化学吸附分析,结果表明,掺入Ce可使Pd在TS-1分子筛表面的粒度及分散度得到改善。考察了n_(O_2)/n_(H_2)比,气体流量,反应时间等反应条件对H_2转化率、H_2O_2选择性及收率的影响。在相对优化的工艺条件下,即n_(O_2)/n_(H_2)=3,气体流量为25 mL·min~(-1),反应时间为3 h时,H_2O_2,的收率可达到25.7%,TOF值为18.7 mol·mol~(-1)·h~(-1),此时溶液中H_2O_2的质量百分数为0.8%。     

Carbon-supported binary Li-Sn catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination

The study of a novel catalyst containing LiCl and SnCl₂ (LiSn/AC) for acetylene hydrochlorination has been reported in this paper. Furthermore, the performance of both high activity (98.3%) and selectivity (>98.0%) are achieved by LiSn/AC catalysts under the reaction temperature of 200 °C and C₂H₂ hourly space velocity of 30 h^?1. The structural characteristics of the Sn based catalysts were deeply researched via BET, XRD, TEM, TPR, C₂H₂-TPD, XPS and TG techniques. According to these characteristic results, we proposed that the presence of Sn²⁺ exhibited better activity and stability than that of Sn⁴⁺ in Sn based catalysts. Additionally, LiCl additives not only can restrain the oxidation of Sn²⁺ and the loss of Sn⁴⁺ in fresh Sn based catalysts but also make the Sn^δ+ (δ = 2,4) species dispersed well on the surface of support. Therefore, the adsorption capacity of C₂H₂ and HCl was enhanced in LiSn/AC, which exhibited the better catalytic performance than that of Sn based catalyst.     

XPS and ISS analysis of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts

Summary The surface compositions of K and Cu containing Fe/Mn oxide catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis were investigated by XPS and ISS. The surface species after calcination are identified as Fe₂O₃, Mn₂O₃, MnO₂, CuO and most likely KO₂, and after in situ reduction at 723 K Fe⁰, Cu⁰, Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ oxides, MnO and KOH. Mn and K are enriched on the surfaces after calcination and reduction; the Cu surface content is approximately equal to the bulk concentration. The K enrichment is especially strong and ISS indicates that potassium is mainly confined to the uppermost layers. The degree of reduction of Fe is strongly dependent on the amount of Cu or K. The change in surface composition during Fischer-Tropsch reaction in the XPS equipment can be correlated to the activity of the catalysts. The pure and Cu containing samples show a constant activity and only a small increase in carbon surface concentration. The K containing catalysts deactivate after a short time and are then totally covered by carbon. On all catalyst surfaces a small amount of carbonate is formed.

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XPS- and ISS-Analyse von Fischer-Tropsch-Katalysatoren

     

Cu、N共掺杂TiO2纳米管光催化重整甘油制备合成气

通过碱性水热-离子交换法制备了Cu、N共掺杂TiO₂纳米管(Cu/N-TNT),对其光催化重整甘油制备合成气性能进行了研究。结果表明,Cu/N-TNT具有富含氧空位(O_v)的管状结构,N以Ti-N形式取代部分O形成杂质能级,Cu以Cu²⁺形式掺杂在催化剂晶格间隙和表面,Cu、N共掺杂促进TiO₂表面电荷有效分离,有利于其光催化重整甘油制备合成气活性和选择性的提高。紫外光照射8h时,掺Cu量为0.15%的Cu/N-TNT催化剂上CO和H₂产量分别为7.3和8.5 mmol·g^-1,是原始TiO₂的9.1和70.8倍,n_H2/n_CO从0.52提高为1.18,n_CO/n_CO2从0.21提高至0.42。Cu/N-TNT表面N和O_V为醛类脱羰和甲酸脱水生成CO提供反应活性位点,Cu作为浅势阱提...     

The Catalytic Dehydrogenation of c2h6 to c2h4 under non-Oxidative Conditions over the 6cr/g-al2o3Catalyst

In the present paper, the catalytic dehydrogenation of C₂H₆ to C₂H₄ under non-oxidative conditions was investigated in a fixed-bed micro-reactor under ambient pressure at 823 - 923 K. The 6Cr/g-Al₂O₃ catalyst was found to be the best catalyst among the g-Al₂O₃, SiO₂, MCM41, MgO and Si-2 supported chromium oxide catalysts. The features of the 6Cr/g-Al₂O₃ catalyst for the reaction could be listed as follows: (1) At 823 - 923 K, the C₂H₄ selectivity of 92.5-78.6% at a C₂H₆ conversion of 9.5-29.8% could be obtained. (2) The catalyst had the good regeneration performance, i.e., could be regenerated by air repeatedly. (3) The main products were C₂H₄, CH₄, H₂ and coke. No carbon oxides were identified.     

Cu、N共掺杂TiO2纳米管光催化重整甘油制备合成气

通过碱性水热-离子交换法制备了Cu、N共掺杂TiO₂纳米管(Cu/N-TNT),对其光催化重整甘油制备合成气性能进行了研究。结果表明,Cu/N-TNT具有富含氧空位(O_V)的管状结构,N以Ti-N形式取代部分O形成杂质能级,Cu以Cu²⁺形式掺杂在催化剂晶格间隙和表面,Cu、N共掺杂促进TiO₂表面电荷有效分离,有利于其光催化重整甘油制备合成气活性和选择性的提高。紫外光照射8 h时,掺Cu量为0.15%的Cu/N-TNT催化剂上CO和H₂产量分别为7.3和8.5 mmol·g^-1,是原始TiO₂的9.1和70.8倍,n_H2/n_CO从0.52提高为1.18,n_CO/n_CO2从0.21提高至0.42。Cu/N-TNT表面N和O_V为醛类脱羰和甲酸脱水生成CO提供反应活性位点,Cu作为浅势阱提高光生电子-空穴分离效率。光生空穴(h⁺)是光催化重整甘油制备合成气过程中的主要活性物种,大量羟基自由基(·OH)和超氧自由基(·O₂^-)会导致甘油过度氧化,使CO选择性降低。     

Catalytic Oxidation of Methane to C2‐C4 Hydrocarbons over CeO2 Promoted W‐Mn/SiO2 Catalysts at Higher Pressure

CeO₂‐promoted Na‐Mn‐W/SiO₂ catalyst has been studied for catalytic oxidation of methane in a micro‐stainless‐steel reactor at elevated pressure. The effect of operating conditions, such as GHSV, pressure and CH₄/O₂ ratio, has been investigated. 22.0% CH₄ conversion with 73.8% C₂‐C₄ selectivity (C₂/C₃/C₄ = 3.8/1.0/3.6) was obtained at 1003 K, 1.5 × 10⁵ h^?;1 GHSV and 1.0 MPa. The results show: Elevated pressure disadvantages the catalytic oxidation of methane to C₂‐C₄ hydrocarbons. Large amounts of C₃ and C₄ hydrocarbons are observed. The unfavorable effects of elevated pressure can be overcome by increasing GHSV; the reaction is strongly dependent on the operating conditions at elevated pressure, particularly dependent on GHSV and ratio of CH₄/O₂. Analyses by means of XRD, XPS and CO₂‐TPD show that CO₂ produced from the reaction makes a weakly poisoning capacity of the catalyst; information of changeful valence on Ce and Mn was detected over the near‐surface of the Ce‐Na‐W‐Mn/SiO₂ catalyst; the existence of Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ and Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺ ion couple supported that the reaction over the catalyst followed the Redeal‐Redox mechanism. Oxidative re‐coupling of C₂H₆ and CH₄ in gas phase or over surface of catalyst produces C₃ or C₄ hydrocarbons.     

Production of hydrogen by oxidative steam reforming of methanol over Cu/SiO2 catalysts

Selective production of hydrogen by oxidative steam reforming of methanol (OSRM) was studied over Cu/SiO₂ catalyst using fixed bed flow reactor. Textural and structural properties of the catalyst were analyzed by various instrumental methods. TPR analysis illustrates that the reduction temperature peak was observed between 510?K and 532?K at various copper loadings and calcination temperatures and the peaks shifted to higher temperature with increasing copper loading and calcination temperature. The XRD and XPS analysis demonstrates that the copper existed in different oxidation states at different conditions: Cu₂O, Cu⁰, CuO and Cu(OH)₂ in uncalcined sample; CuO in calcined sample: Cu₂O and metallic Cu after reduction at 600?K and Cu⁰ and CuO after catalytic test. TEM analysis reveals that at various copper loadings, the copper particle size is in the range between 3.0?nm and 3.8?nm. The Cu particle size after catalytic test increased from 3.6 to 4.8?nm, which is due to the formation of oxides of copper as evidenced from XRD and XPS analysis. The catalytic performance at various Cu loadings shows that with increasing Cu loading from 4.7 to 17.3?wt%, the activity increases and thereafter it decreases. Effect of calcination shows that the sample calcined at 673?K exhibited high activity. The O₂/CH₃OH and H₂O/CH₃OH molar ratios play important role in reaction rate and product distribution. The optimum molar ratios of O₂/CH₃OH and H₂O/CH₃OH are 0.25 and 0.1, respectively. When the reaction temperature varied from 473 to 548?K, the methanol conversion and H₂ production rate are in the range of 21.9–97.5% and 1.2–300.9?mmol?kg^?1?s^?1, respectively. The CO selectivity is negligible at these temperatures. Under the optimum conditions (17.3?wt%, Cu/SiO₂; calcination temperature 673?K; 0.25 O₂/CH₃OH molar ratio, 0.5 H₂O/CH₃OH molar ratio and reaction temperature 548?K), the maximum hydrogen yield obtained was 2.45?mol of hydrogen per mole of methanol. The time on stream stability test showed that the Cu/SiO₂ catalyst is quite stable for 48?h.     

Steam pre-reforming of natural gas over nanostructured Ni/12CaO–7Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalyst for hydrogen production: effect of support preparation method

Calcium aluminate (12CaO–7Al₂O₃) powder was synthesized using three methods, viz. Pechini, coprecipitation, and a new novel facile decomposition route starting from activated alumina and calcium nitrate precursors, then used as a support to prepare a series of 31 wt%Ni/12CaO–7Al₂O₃ catalysts by deposition–precipitation method. The resultant catalysts were tested in steam pre-reforming of natural gas at 400–550 °C, low steam-to-carbon (S/C) molar ratio of 1.5, and atmospheric pressure. The obtained samples were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO), hydrogen chemisorption, and CO₂–temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Experimental results showed that the basicity and morphology of the supports depended significantly on the synthesis method. Calcium aluminate synthesized using the new decomposition procedure showed surface area of 6.23 m² g^?1, while the surface area of those prepared by the Pechini and coprecipitation method were 1.38 and 3.76 m² g^?1, respectively. The catalytic properties of the 31 wt%Ni/12CaO–7Al₂O₃ catalysts were strongly influenced by the support preparation approach. The highest specific surface area (about 230 m² g^?1), smallest Ni particle size (8.86 nm), and highest nickel dispersion (7.48%) were observed for the catalyst whose support was synthesized by the decomposition method. Even at high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) of 2 × 10⁵ mL \({\text{g}}^{ - 1}_{\text{catalyst}}\) h^?1, this catalyst exhibited around 100% C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ conversion at temperature above 500 °C. High catalytic stability during 60 h time on-stream was also shown. The TPO profiles of the spent catalyst demonstrated high resistance to carbon formation.     

Copper supported on porous activated carbon obtained by wetness impregnation: Effect of preparation conditions on the ozonation catalyst's characteristics

An activated carbon-supported copper heterogeneous catalyst based on (Cu/AC) was developed using a wetness impregnation process. The effect of preparation conditions on the catalyst's characteristics was examined. This work focuses on two key parameters: impregnation rate and calcination conditions (temperature and time). Catalysts were characterized by means of nitrogen sorptiometry at 77 K, Boehm analysis and pH_pzc analysis. It was found that the catalyst properties and the functional surface groups were affected by the operating conditions. The highest measured surface area, i.e. 1040 m²/g, was obtained for activated carbon (AC) impregnated with 12% of Cu loading after calcination at 550 °C for 2 h. The effect of adding copper on the surface of activated carbon on its adsorption capacity was also examined. The obtained results showed that after impregnation, the adsorption capacity of activated carbon was improved. Additionally, the performance of the Cu/AC catalyst on nitrobenzene ozonation was investigated. Our results show that the use of Cu/AC for heterogeneous catalytic ozonation enhanced significantly the degradation efficiency of nitrobenzene (NB) compared with simple ozonation and with ozonation catalyzed by AC without metal addition.     

Interfacial Water Tuning by Intermolecular Spacing for Stable CO2 Electroreduction to C2+ Products

Electroreduction of CO₂ to multi-carbon (C₂₊) products is a promising approach for utilization of renewable energy, in which the interfacial water quantity is critical for both the C₂₊ product selectivity and the stability of Cu-based electrocatalytic sites. Functionalization of long-chain alkyl molecules on a catalyst surface can help to increase its stability, while it also tends to block the transport of water, thus inhibiting the C₂₊ product formation. Herein, we demonstrate the fine tuning of interfacial water by surface assembly of toluene on Cu nanosheets, allowing for sustained and enriched CO₂ supply but retarded water transfer to catalytic surface. Compared to bare Cu with fast cathodic corrosion and long-chain alkyl-modified Cu with main CO product, the toluene assembly on Cu nanosheet surface enabled a high Faradaic efficiency of 78 % for C₂₊ and a partial current density of 1.81 A cm⁻². The toluene-modified Cu catalyst further exhibited highly stable CO₂-to-C₂H₄ conversion of 400 h in a membrane-electrode-assembly electrolyzer, suggesting the attractive feature for both efficient C₂₊ selectivity and excellent stability.     

Iron Carbonyl Thiourea Hybrid Material Based on Functionalised Silica from Rice Husk Ash for Oxidation of Limonene

Iron carbonyl thiourea, RHACP1Fe was successfully immobilized onto inorganic silica support from rice husk ask via chloropropyltriethoxysilane (CPTES) and the resulting catalyst was labelled as RHACP1Fe. This mesoporous organic-inorganic hybrid catalyst showed a specific surface area of 245.0 m²g^-1. The ²⁹ Si MAS NMR solid state spectrum showed the presence of Q⁴, Q³, T³ and T² silicon centres in RHACP1Fe. The oxidation of limonene with H₂O₂ was studied using RHACP1Fe. A moderate selectivity to the desired product (limonene peroxide) of 67% and a maximum limonene conversion of 60% was achieved. RHACP1Fe could be reused several times without losing its catalytic activity.     

层状K/Mg-Fe-Al催化剂的制备及其CO加氢性能研究

采用共沉淀法制备了系列不同Mg/Fe/Al配比MgFeAl-HTLcs前驱体,经焙烧、浸渍K改性、二次焙烧后用于CO加氢反应。采用N2吸附-脱附、SEM、TG、XRD、H2-TPR、XPS等手段对催化剂进行了表征。结果表明,共沉淀法制备的不同配比MgFeAl-HTLcs类水滑石前躯体均具有典型层状结构;焙烧后生成MgO、Fe2O3以及少量MgFeAlO4物相,三组元间相互作用增强,反应后以MgCO3和Fe3O4物相为主,同时出现较弱的Fe5C2相;K改性后发生结构重构,热稳定性增强,且随Al含量增加,比表面积显著单调下降;与K/Mg-Fe相比,K/Mg-Fe-Al样品中Fe2O3到Fe3O4的还原受到抑制;二次焙烧后,反应前表面相对富Fe,反应后表面富K。在CO加氢反应中,K/Mg-Fe-Al系列催化剂均表现出较高的反应活性以及烯烃选择性,随Fe/Al配比相对增加,C5+含量呈降低趋势,O/P值增加;与K/1.5Mg-0.67Fe相比,K/1.5Mg-0.67Fe-0.33Al催化剂C5+含量由22.17%降至10.90%,C=2-4含量由40.98%提高至47.28%。     

Surface characterization and catalytic evaluation of copper-promoted Al-MCM-41 toward hydroxylation of phenol

The Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 (MCM-41) containing Cu and Al with Si/Al ratios varying from 100 to 10 and 1 to 6 wt.% of Cu was synthesized under hydrothermal and impregnation conditions, respectively. The samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al magic-angle spinning–nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS–NMR) spectra. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the modified materials retain the standard MCM-41 structure. TPR patterns show the two-step reduction of Cu species. TPD study shows that Cu-impregnated Al-MCM-41 samples are more acidic than Al-MCM-41. From the MAS–NMR it was confirmed that most of the Al atoms are present tetrahedrally within the framework and some are present octahedrally in extraframework position. Impregnation of Cu shifted Al to the extraframework position. The catalytic activity of the samples toward hydroxylation of phenol in aqueous medium was evaluated using H₂O₂ as the oxidant at 80 °C. The effects of reaction parameters such as temperature, catalyst amount, amount of H₂O₂, and solvent were also investigated. Sample containing 4 wt.% copper-loaded Al-MCM-41-100 showed high phenol conversion (78%) with 68% catechol and 32% hydroquinone selectivity.