Hydrogen production from steam reforming of kerosene over Ni–La and Ni–La–K/cordierite catalysts

Ni–La and Ni–La–K catalysts supported on cordierite were prepared for steam reforming of kerosene to produce hydrogen. All these catalysts were tested in a fixed-bed reactor under different conditions. The catalysts obtained under different calcination temperatures and different reaction temperatures were characterized by TG–DTG and XRD techniques respectively. The influence of NiO and La₂O₃ contents on the activity of catalysts for steam reforming of kerosene to produce hydrogen was also investigated in our experiments. The experimental results indicate that the calcination temperature has much more influence on catalyst activity. The catalyst supported the promoter 5 wt% K₂O, 25 wt% NiO and 10 wt% La₂O₃, is the optimal catalyst under 773 K of reaction temperature and 2300 h⁻¹ of space velocity. Composition of Ni is highly dispersed on the catalyst surface. And through the duration test, the catalyst activity and stability are very satisfactory at 873 K of the reaction temperature.     

Effects of preparation conditions in hydrothermal synthesis of highly active unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts for simultaneous hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene

Unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts were prepared from ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) and nickel nitrate by using a hydrothermal synthesis method involving water, organic solvent and hydrogen. The activity of these catalysts in the simultaneous hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) was much higher than that of the commercial NiMo/Al₂O₃ sulfide catalysts. Interestingly, the unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts showed higher activity for hydrogenation (HYD) pathway than the direct desulfurization (DDS) pathway in the HDS of DBT. The same trends were observed for the HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. Morphology, surface area, pore volume and the HDS activity of unsupported NiMo sulfide catalyst depended on the catalyst preparation conditions. Higher temperature and higher H₂ pressure and addition of an organic solvent were found to increase the HDS activity of unsupported NiMo sulfide catalysts for both DBT and 4,6-DMDBT HDS. Higher preparation temperature increased HYD selectivity but decreased DDS selectivity. High-resolution TEM images revealed that unsupported NiMo sulfide prepared at 375 °C shows lower number of layers in the stacks of catalyst with more curvature and shorter length of slabs compared to that prepared at 300 °C. On the other hand, higher preparation pressure increased DDS selectivity but decreased HYD selectivity for HDS of 4,6-DMDBT. HRTEM images showed higher number of layers in the stack for the NiMo sulfide prepared under an initial H₂ pressure of 3.4 MPa compared to that under 2.1 MPa. The optimal Ni/(Mo + Ni) ratio for the NiMo sulfide catalyst was 0.5, higher than that for the conventional Al₂O₃-supported NiMo sulfide catalysts. This was attributed to the high dispersion of the active species and more active NiMoS generated. The present study also provides new insight for controlling the catalyst selectivity as well as activity by tailoring the hydrothermal preparation conditions.     

Effect of TiO2 on hydrodenitrogenation performances of MCM-41 supported molybdenum phosphides

The effect of TiO₂ on the hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) performance of MoP/MCM-41 was investigated using quinoline and decahydroquinoline as the model molecules. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, CO chemisorption, TEM, TPR and pyridine FT-IR. Addition of TiO₂ enhanced the C–N bond cleavage activity of MoP/MCM-41 but inhibited its dehydrogenation activity. A maximum HDN activity was observed when the TiO₂ loading was 5 wt%. The characterization results indicated that introduction of TiO₂ did not affect the formation of MoP phase. The TiO₂-containing catalysts possessed higher CO uptake than MoP/MCM-41, but no significant differences in the acid properties and particle size distributions were observed for all the catalysts. XPS results revealed a surface enrichment of TiO₂ in Ti-containing catalysts and small amount of these surface TiO₂ can be partially reduced to Tiⁿ⁺ (n < 4). It is suggested that these Tiⁿ⁺ (n < 4) species may be responsible for the promoting effect of TiO₂ on the HDN performance of MoP/MCM-41.     

Higher alcohol synthesis from syngas over KCoMoP catalysts

Carbon modified K_xCo_0.75MoP (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) catalysts were prepared from a sol–gel method using citric acid as a complexant. The catalysts were evaluated with CO hydrogenation and characterized by XRD, XPS and CO₂-TPD techniques. Results show that the addition of cobalt accelerates the dispersion of catalytic components in phosphide catalysts while the participation of potassium in phosphide catalysts enhances the interaction between MoP and CoMoP and facilitates the rearrangement of electron density in different Mo species. In K₁Co_0.75MoP, a large number of Mo^4 + species resulted in high selectivity to C_2 + higher alcohol.     

Development of cobalt catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene as a model compound of tar derived from biomass gasification

The catalytic performances of Co/MgO catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene were investigated. The results of characterizations (TPR, XRD, CO adsorption, and CO-TPD) showed that large-sized Co metal particles were formed over the catalysts pre-calcined at 873 K with high Co loading via reduction of Co₃O₄ and MgCo₂O₄ phases. A few Co metal particles were obtained over the catalysts pre-calcined at 1173 K with all Co loading values after reduction.The catalytic performances data showed that 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K exhibited the best catalytic performance (conv., 23%, 3 h) for the steam reforming of naphthalene among the catalysts tested in this study, due to the existence of Co metal and the low amounts of coke deposition. On the other hand, the data also revealed that the reaction of steam reforming of naphthalene proceeds over all Co-loaded catalyst pre-calcined at 1173 K initially; however, the deposition of the polymer of C_nH_m radicals and the oxidation of catalysts by H₂O led to the decrease of activity.It should be noted that 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K showed high and stable activity under the low steam/carbon mole ratio (0.6), with H₂ and CO₂ as main products. These two excellent advantages serve to increase the overall biomass gasification system energy efficiency and allow using the product gas for fuel cell system. Thus, Co catalyst is a promising system for the steam reforming of naphthalene derived from biomass gasification as a second fixed catalytic bed.     

Comparison of Co/MgO and Ni/MgO catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene as a model compound of tar derived from biomass gasification

The catalytic performances of 12 wt.% Co/MgO catalyst pre-calcined at 873 K and of Ni catalysts for the steam reforming of naphthalene were investigated. The results of characterizations (TPR, XRD, and CO adsorption) for Ni catalysts showed that Ni metal particles were formed over the catalysts pre-calcined at 873 K with high Ni loading via reduction of NiO–MgO phases. A few Ni metal particles were obtained over the catalysts pre-calcined at 1173 K with all Ni loading values.The catalytic performance data showed that Co/MgO catalyst had higher activity (conv., 23%, 3 h) than any kinds of Ni/MgO catalysts tested in this study, under lower steam/carbon mole ratio (0.6) and higher concentration of fed naphthalene (3.5 mol%) than those used in the other works. The steam reforming of naphthalene proceeded when there was a stoichiometric ratio between the carbon atoms of naphthalene and H₂O over Co catalyst; however, the activation of excess H₂O happened over the Ni catalyst and this phenomenon can lead to having lower activity than Co catalyst. We concluded that these observations should be attributed to different catalytic performances between Co/MgO and Ni/MgO catalysts.     

Catalytic conversion of trichloroethylene on nickel containing beta zeolites into value added products

Nickel containing BEA zeolites, NiSiBEA and NiHAlBEA, with 2 wt% of Ni were prepared by a two-step postsynthesis method and conventional wet impregnation. The calcination of NiSiBEA and NiHAlBEA at 773 K for 3 h in air led to the formation of C-NiSiBEA and C-NiHAlBEA. After reduction at 873 K for 3 h in flowing 10% H₂/Ar, red-C-NiSiBEA and red-C-NiHAlBEA were obtained and investigated as the catalysts in hydrodechlorination of trichloroethylene at 503 K. Comparative study performed on red-C-NiSiBEA and red-C-NiHAlBEA showed very high stability of the catalyst prepared by a two-step postsynthesis method and strong deactivation of the catalyst prepared by conventional wet impregnation during ~ 17 h of reaction. Application of both catalysts resulted in high selectivity to unsaturated hydrocarbons that are the most desired products in HDC processes. TPH of the catalysts after kinetic run have shown that the main cause of deactivation of NiHAlBEA is the formation of carbonaceous species during hydrodechlorination of trichloroethylene.     

Hydrodesulfurization of diesel in a slurry reactor

The need for more complete removal of sulfur from fuels is due to the lower allowable sulfur content in gasoline and diesel, which is made difficult by the increased sulfur contents of crude oils. This work reports an experimental study on the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of diesel in a slurry reactor. HDS of straight-run diesel using a NiMoS/Al₂O₃ catalyst was studied in a high-pressure autoclave for the following operating conditions: 4.8–23.1 wt% catalyst in the reactor, 320–360 °C, 3–5 MPa pressure, and 0.56–2.77 L/min hydrogen flow rate. It was found that the reaction rate was proportional to the catalyst amount and increased with temperature, pressure and hydrogen flow rate. The reaction kinetics for the HDS reaction in the slurry reactor was obtained. As compared with HDS in a fixed bed reactor, HDS in a slurry reactor is promising because of the uniform temperature profile, high catalyst efficiency, and online removal and addition of catalyst.     

Hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to methane over mesoporous nickel-M-alumina (M = Fe,Ni, Co,Ce, and La) xerogel catalysts

Mesoporous nickel(30 wt%)-M(10 wt%)-alumina xerogel (30Ni10MAX) catalysts with different second metal (M = Fe, Ni, Co, Ce, and La) were prepared by a single-step sol–gel method for use in the methane production from carbon monoxide and hydrogen. In the methanation reaction, yield for CH₄ decreased in the order of 30Ni10FeAX > 30Ni10NiAX > 30Ni10CoAX > 30Ni10CeAX > 30Ni10LaAX. Experimental results revealed that CO dissociation energy of the catalyst and H₂ adsorption ability of the catalyst played a key role in determining the catalytic performance of 30Ni10MAX catalyst in the methanation reaction. Optimal CO dissociation energy of the catalyst and large H₂ adsorption ability of the catalyst were favorable for methane production. Among the catalysts tested, 30Ni10FeAX catalyst with the most optimal CO dissociation energy and the largest H₂ adsorption ability exhibited the best catalytic performance in terms of conversion of CO and yield for CH₄ in the methanation reaction. The enhanced catalytic performance of 30Ni10FeAX was also due to a formation of nickel–iron alloy and a facile reduction.     

Synthesis of nanofibrous carbon with herringbone structure on Ni-supported SiC particles using hot CVD apparatus

A nanofibrous carbon material having a herringbone structure was synthesized using Ni-supported silicon carbide (SiC) particles as the catalyst for the hot chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process using CH₄ as carbon source. The amount of the deposits during the CVD process strongly depended on the CVD treatment temperature. The enhancement of weight and the TG data indicated that the quantity synthesis of the deposits was achieved at 823 K. The specific surface area of the deposits was estimated at ca. 120 m² g^− 1. It was confirmed from the TEM images that the deposits synthesized in this study had a herringbone-like structure. From the data of Raman spectra and XRD patterns, the herringbone-like structure started to deposit after 30 minutes in the case of 823 K. The Ni-supported SiC can be used as the catalyst for the synthesis of nanofibrous carbon materials.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by ammonia using mesoporous Fe-containing HZSM-5 and HZSM-12 zeolite catalysts: An option for automotive applications

Mesoporous and conventional Fe-containing ZSM-5 and ZSM-12 catalysts (0.5–8 wt% Fe) were prepared using a simple impregnation method and tested in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃. It was found that for both Fe/HZSM-5 and Fe/HZSM-12 catalysts with similar Fe contents, the activity of the mesoporous samples in NO SCR with NH₃ is significantly higher than for conventional samples. Such a difference in the activity is probably related with the better diffusion of reactants and products in the mesopores and better dispersion of the iron particles in the mesoporous zeolite as was confirmed by SEM analysis. Moreover, the maximum activity for the mesoporous zeolites is found at higher Fe concentrations than for the conventional zeolites. This also illustrates that the mesoporous zeolites allow a better dispersion of the metal component than the conventional zeolites. Finally, the influence of different pretreatment conditions on the catalytic activity was studied and interestingly, it was found that it is possible to increase the SCR performance significantly by preactivation of the catalysts in a 1% NH₃/N₂ mixture at 500 °C for 5 h. After preactivation, the activity of mesoporous 6 wt% Fe/HZSM-5 and 6 wt% Fe/HZSM-12 catalyst is comparable with that of traditional 3 wt% V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalyst used as a reference at temperatures below 400 °C and even more active at higher temperatures.     

Mercury oxidation by hydrochloric acid over TiO2 supported metal oxide catalysts in coal combustion flue gas

Mercury oxidation by hydrochloric acid over the metal oxides supported by anatase type TiO₂ catalysts, 1 wt.% MO_x/TiO₂ where M = V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Mo, was investigated by the Hg⁰ oxidation and the NO reduction measurements both in the presence and absence of NH₃. The catalysts were characterized by BET surface area measurement and Raman spectroscopy. The metal oxides added to the catalyst were observed to disperse well on the TiO₂ surface. For all catalysts studied, the Hg⁰ oxidation by hydrochloric acid was confirmed to proceed. The activity of the catalysts was found to follow the trend MoO₃ ~ V₂O₅ > Cr₂O₃ > Mn₂O₃ > Fe₂O₃ > CuO > NiO. The Hg⁰ oxidation activity of all catalysts was depressed considerably by adding NH₃ to the reactant stream. This suggests that the metal oxide catalysts undergo the inhibition effect by NH₃. The activity trend of the Hg⁰ oxidation in the presence of NH₃ was different from that observed in its absence. A good correlation was found between the NO reduction and the Hg⁰ oxidation activities in the NH₃ present condition. The catalyst having high NO reduction activity such as V₂O₅/TiO₂ showed high Hg⁰ oxidation activity. The result obtained in this study suggests that the oxidation of Hg⁰ proceeds through the reaction mechanism, in which HCl competes for the active catalyst sites against NH₃. NH₃ adsorption may predominate over the adsorption of HCl in the presence of NH₃.     

Catalytic activity evaluation for hydrogen production via autothermal reforming of methane

A nickel catalyst (5.75 wt.%) supported on gamma-alumina was evaluated through autothermal reforming of methane (ATR). The reforming process was pointed to hydrogen production, following thermodynamic and stoichiometric predictions. The catalyst was characterised by several methods including atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), B.E.T.-N₂, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermal analyses (thermogravimetry, TG; derivate thermogravimetry, DTG; and differential thermal analysis, DTA). Experimental evaluations in a fixed-bed reactor (1023–1123 K, 1.00 bar, 150–400 cm³/min feed) presented methane conversions in the range of 40–65%. The effluent mixtures provided hydrogen yields in the range of 78–84%, carbon monoxide 3–14%, and carbon dioxide 5–18%. High molar H₂/CO ratios, ranging from 8 to 90, were obtained. Operating autothermal conditions (excess of steam, 1023–1123 K, 1.00 bar) provided low coke formation and high hydrogen selectivity (81%) for methane reforming.     

Analysis and deep hydrodesulfurization reactivity of Saudi Arabian gas oils

Gas oils obtained from Arabian Light (AL-GO), Arabian Medium (AM-GO) and Arabian Heavy (AH-GO) crude oils were subjected to detailed analysis in terms of reactive and refractory sulfur, nitrogen, as well as aromatic species. Deep hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of these gas oils over SiO₂–Al₂O₃-supported CoMo and NiMo catalysts was studied using autoclave reactor either in one- or two-stage operations. AL-GO was easily and deeply desulfurized to 15 ppm over CoMo/Al₂O₃–SiO₂ (catalyst X) at 340 °C and 5 MPa (H₂) for 2 h. At the same conditions, AM-GO and AH-GO could be desulfurized to 70 and 78 ppm, respectively. Two-staged HDS, by combining CoMo and NiMo catalysts, in successive steps resulted in effective deep HDS. The replacement of hydrogen atmosphere after the first-stage (1 h) enhanced the AH-GO HDS during the second-stage (1 h) to 9 ppm. However, replacing the hydrogen in the second-stage with 5% H₂S in hydrogen inhibited the HDS, resulting in product sulfur content of 15 ppm. Analysis of sulfur species indicate that significant fraction of reactive and refractory sulfur species were removed during the first-stage whereas the remaining refractory sulfur species were removed during the second-stage. Kinetic analysis indicates overwhelming influence of refractive sulfur species on the overall HDS. The results from this study show that two-stage scheme with optimum catalysts in series can be applied to overcome the difficulty to achieve deep HDS of AH-GO.     

Vapour phase hydrogenation of phenol over Pd/C catalysts: A relationship between dispersion,metal area and hydrogenation activity

A series of palladium supported on activated carbon catalysts, with Pd varying from 0.5 to 6.0 wt%, were prepared via wet impregnation method using PdCl₂ · xH₂O as a precursor salt. The dried samples were further reduced at 573 K in hydrogen and characterized by CO adsorption at room temperature in order to determine the dispersion, metal area and particle size. The catalysts were tested for vapour phase phenol hydrogenation in a fixed-bed all glass micro-reactor at a reaction temperature of 453 K under normal atmospheric pressure. The decrease in metal surface area as well as dispersion with corresponding increase in turn-over frequency (TOF) against palladium loadings suggest the unusual inverse relationship that exist between Pd dispersion and phenol hydrogenation activity over Pd/carbon catalysts. The stability of TOF at larger crystallite size indicates that phenol hydrogenation is less sensitive reaction especially beyond 3 wt% of Pd content. It is evident from the results that structural properties of the catalysts strongly influence the availability of Pd atoms on the surface for CO chemisorption and hence for phenol hydrogenation. A comparison between selectivity and product yield of the reaction against overall phenol conversion indicates that changes in reaction selectivity for cyclohexanone or cyclohexanol is independent of phenol conversion level and either of the product is not formed at the cost of another. The stability of the catalysts with reaction time suggests that coke formation on the surface of the catalyst is less significant and the formation of cyclohexanone remains almost total even at higher reaction temperatures.     

Ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization on MoS2 and Co0.1MoS2: Intrinsic vs. environmental factors

A hydrogenation index (HI), measured in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT), is used to estimate the intrinsic hydrogenation selectivities of MoS₂, Co_0.1MoS₂, and two supported HDS catalysts. The HI and catalyst activity for desulfurizing 4,6-diethyl-DBT follow the same trend: MoS₂ ? Co_0.1MoS₂ ? supported catalysts. For desulfurizing a petroleum fraction rich in 4,6-alkyl-DBTs and 4-alkyl-DBTs, the activity decreases as follows: Co_0.1MoS₂ > supported catalysts ? MoS₂. These results introduce an apparent conundrum: MoS₂ has such a high hydrogenation power and activity for desulfurizing 4,6-diethyl-DBT, why does it perform poorly in real-feed tests? This conundrum is resolved by showing that an ultra-deep HDS catalyst requires an optimum balance between an intrinsic factor (hydrogenation function) and an environmental factor (tolerance of organonitrogen). Incorporating Co into MoS₂ lowers the hydrogenation function of MoS₂ and hence improves tolerance of organonitrogen. This conclusion corroborates the prediction of an early modeling study.     

Influence of CeO2 morphology on the catalytic oxidation of ethanol in air

Nano-CeO₂ catalysts of different shapes were synthesized at different hydrothermal crystallization temperatures from an alkaline aqueous solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and H₂ temperature-programmed reduction (H₂-TPR) were used to study the synthesized nano-CeO₂ catalyst samples. The catalytic properties of the prepared nano-CeO₂ catalysts for the catalytic oxidation of ethanol in air were also investigated. TEM analysis showed that CeO₂ nanorod and nanocube catalysts have been synthesized at hydrothermal crystallization temperatures of 373 K and 453 K, respectively. XRD results showed that the synthesized nano-CeO₂ catalysts have similar cubic fluorite structures. H₂-TPR results indicated that CeO₂ nanorod and nanocube catalysts exhibit different reduction behaviors for H₂ and that the nanorod catalyst has better low-temperature reduction performance than the nanocube catalyst. Ethanol catalytic oxidation results indicated that oxidation and condensation products (including acetaldehyde, acetic acid, CO₂, and ethyl acetate) have been produced from the prepared catalysts. The ethyl acetate and acetic acid can be ignited by ethanol at low temperature on the CeO₂(R) catalyst to give low catalytic combustion temperature for ethyl acetate and acetic acid molecules. CeO₂ nanorods gave ethanol oxidation conversion rates above 99.2% at 443 K and CO₂ selectivity exceeding 99.6% at 483 K, while CeO₂ nanocubes gave ethanol oxidation conversion rates of about 95.1% until 508 K and CO₂ selectivity of only 93.86% at 543 K. CeO₂ nanorod is a potential low-cost and effective catalyst for removing trace amounts of ethanol to purify air.     

Hydrogen storage using heterocyclic compounds: The hydrogenation of 2-methylthiophene

Alkyl substituted thiophenes are promising candidates for hydrogen carriers, as their dehydrogenation reactions are known to occur under mild conditions. Four types of catalysts, including supported noble metals, bimetallic noble metals, transition metal phosphides and transition metal sulfides, have been investigated for 2-methylthiophene (2MT) hydrogenation and ring-opening. The major products were tetrahydro-2-methylthiophene (TH2MT), pentenes and pentane, with very little C₅-thiols observed. The selectivity towards the desired product TH2MT follows the order: noble metals > bimetallics > phosphides > sulfides. The best hydrogenation catalyst was 2% Pt/Al₂O₃ which exhibited relatively high reactivity and selectivity towards TH2MT at moderate temperatures. Temperature-programmed reaction (TPR) experiments revealed that pentanethiol became the major product, especially with HDS catalysts like CoMoS/Al₂O₃ and WP/SiO₂.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NO by propane on copper containing alumina pillared α-zirconium phosphates

Copper containing alumina pillared α-zirconium phosphates with different copper loadings, where copper was incorporated by ion exchange and by impregnation, have been synthesized and characterized by using techniques such as XPS, UV–VIS spectroscopy, H₂-TPR and NO-TPD. The catalytic activity of the synthesized materials in the selective catalytic reduction of NO using propane as a reducing agent in the presence of oxygen at 623–823 K has been evaluated. In the exchanged sample, copper is mainly present as isolated Cu²⁺ species, whereas the impregnated materials show copper to be present as small CuO clusters (not detectable by XRD) and a fraction as spinel-like structures within the alumina pillars. NO-TPD displayed a stronger interaction of NO molecules with the copper exchanged materials, because N₂O and O₂ are detected at temperatures higher than 773 K. Under the selected experimental conditions, the most active catalyst in the SCR of NO is the copper exchanged catalyst, attaining conversions of NO close to 30% at 823 K. Moreover, the competitiveness factor is high and the TOF number is 1.57×10⁻⁴ molecules_NO per second at_Cu for the copper exchanged catalyst, this being comparable to that obtained with a Cu-ZSM-5 used as a reference.     

Solvent free synthesis of chalcone and flavanone over zinc oxide supported metal oxide catalysts

Liquid phase Claisen–Schmidt condensation between 2′-hydroxyacetophenone and benzaldehyde to form 2′-hydroxychalcone, followed by intramolecular cyclisation to form flavanone was carried out over zinc oxide supported metal oxide catalysts under solvent free condition. The reaction was carried out over ZnO supported MgO, BaO, K₂O and Na₂O catalysts with 0.2 g of each catalyst at 140 °C for 3 h. Magnesium oxide impregnated zinc oxide was observed to offer higher conversion of 2′-hydroxyacetophenone than other catalysts. Further MgO impregnated with various other supports such as HZSM-5, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ were also used for the reaction to assess the suitability of the support. The order of activity of the support is ZnO > SiO₂ > Al₂O₃ > HZSM-5. Various weight percentage of MgO was loaded on ZnO to optimize maximum efficiency of the catalyst system. The impregnation of MgO (wt%) in ZnO was optimized for better conversion of 2′-hydroxyacetophenone. The effect of temperature and catalyst loading was studied for the reaction.