Selective synthesis of 1-indanol by 1-indanone liquid-phase hydrogenation over metal-based catalysts: A LHHW kinetic approach

[Display omitted] •1-indanone is selectively hydrogenated to 1-indanol over SiO2-supported metal catalysts.•1-indanol yield and selectivity are notably higher with Cu than with Co and Pt catalysts.•Three consecutive reaction cycles show that reusability of Cu/SiO2 catalyst is feasible.•LHHW modelling confirms 1-indanone hydrogenation pathways with Pt, Co and Cu catalysts.•Kinetic parameters with physical and statistical meaning were attained by LHHW modelling. Liquid-phase selective synthesis of 1-indanol by the heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation of 1-indanone is reported for the first time. The reaction was carried out at 363 K and 10 bar over SiO2-supported Pt, Co and Cu catalysts, using cyclohexane as solvent. All of the catalysts were prepared by the incipient wetness impregnation method. The highest yield and selectivity to 1-indanol was obtained with Cu/SiO2 that also exhibited high stability, since no deactivation after three consecutive hydrogenation cycles was observed. Pt/SiO2 was active for the hydrogenation of both C = O group and aromatic ring, while Co/SiO2 showed high activity for the hydrogenolysis of the C–OH bond. The characterization by different techniques showed important physicochemical differences among the three catalysts. The experimental data were fitted with LHHW kinetic models by combining stochastic and deterministic methods. The performance of catalysts was explained by combining physicochemical characterization and LHHW modelling.