Catalytic Dehydrochlorination of 1,2-Dichloroethane into Vinyl Chloride over Nitrogen-Doped Activated Carbon

The pyrolysis of 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) is the most popular commercialized way of producing vinyl chloride monomers (VCM); however, it is plagued by high-energy consumption and the resulting coke formation. Here, a series of nitrogen-doped (N-doped) activated carbon catalysts (N-AC) were prepared conveniently for EDC dehydrochlorination. The structural and textural properties of N-doped catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra, temperature-programmed desorption of VCM and EDC, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that doping N into activated carbon supports introduced basicity sites and caused partial graphitization on the catalyst surfaces. Thus, an improved absorption capacity to EDC and VCM and an accelerated desorption rate were obtained, which greatly enhanced EDC conversion and VCM selectivity. EDC was almost completely dehydrochlorided into vinyl chloride at a temperature of 300 °C and an EDC liquid hourly space velocity of 0.313 h^-1. The high catalytic activity and selectivity as well as good stability suggested that the N-AC catalyst would be a promising dehydrochlorination catalyst on an industrial scale.