The invention provides a catalyst for synthesizing
ethylene glycol by
oxalate hydrogenation, and a preparation method and an application method of the catalyst. The preparation method comprises the steps of taking
copper nitrate and
copper acetate as
copper sources, taking alkaline
silica gel as a
silicon source, and taking
urea and
ammonia water as a precipitant; adding a multi-hydroxyl
organic matter; and preparing a Cu / SiO2 catalyst with a deposition-
precipitation method. According to the method, the dimension and
dispersity of copper species are adjusted and controlled by adding the multi-hydroxyl
organic matter in the preparation process, and the aggregation of the copper species is inhibited by utilizing
carbon deposition, so that the problem of easy
sintering of the copper species at a high temperature is better solved. The application method for applying the catalyst to the synthesis of
ethylene glycol by
oxalate hydrogenation comprises the steps of firstly enabling the
organic matter on the catalyst to form the
carbon deposition at a relatively high temperature in an
inert atmosphere; secondly switching
inert gas to
hydrogen in a cooling process after
carbon deposition formation; and finally when the temperature is reduced to a
reaction temperature, performing subsequent hydrogenation synthesis. The method has the characteristics that the catalyst does not need to be pre-roasted before use, and
hydrogen pre-reduction does not need to be carried out for a long time, so that the preparation and use costs of the catalyst can be reduced.