Provided is a process for preparing a non-pyrophoric catalyst having about
2 to 20 wt. % of a copper component, wherein at least 50 wt. % of the copper component
is in the form of a copper oxide, aluminum oxide-spinel. The catalyst can be prepared
by forming a mixture of a copper precursor and an alumina precursor, coextruding
the mixture, drying the coextrudate and calcining the dried coextrudate at a temperature
of at least 600 C. In other aspects, the invention also relates to processes
for the activation of copper-based catalysts and for the regeneration of deactivated
copper-based catalysts.
