Synthesis of highly basic, low-cost iron oxides from tin can waste as valorization of municipal solid waste and study of their catalytic efficiency as potent catalysts for MEK production

In the present study, low-cost iron oxide catalysts have been prepared by a simple precipitation method using tin food can waste as a source of iron and sodium hydroxide or ammonium hydroxide solution as a precipitating agent. The prepared catalysts were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EDAX quantitative elemental analysis, and BET surface area measurements. Surface basicity of iron oxide catalysts was measured by adsorption of carbon dioxide as an acidic probe molecule, followed by desorption measurements using the TGA technique. The prepared iron oxide catalysts were tested by dehydrogenation of 2-butanol to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) at a temperature range of 275–375 °C. Commercial iron oxide was tested under identical reaction conditions for comparison with the prepared catalysts. The results indicated the superiority of the prepared catalysts over the commercial one and the superiority of the catalyst prepared using NaOH over that prepared using NH4OH as precipitating agents. The use of different precipitating agents affects the surface morphology and, consequently, the catalytic activity of the produced iron oxide catalysts.