Conversion of phenol to cyclohexane in the aqueous phase over Ni/zeolite bi-functional catalysts

Abstract

A series of Ni/HZSM-5 and Ni/HIM-5 bi-functional catalysts were synthesized and applied to the aqueous-phase hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenol. The Ni dispersibility and particle sizes were shown to be directly related to the porosity and crystal sizes of the parent zeolites, which further influenced the catalytic performances. The large pores and small crystal sizes of the parent zeolites were beneficial for dispersing Ni and forming small Ni particles, and the corresponding Ni/zeolite catalyst exhibited a higher phenol conversion and selectivity towards hydrocarbons. Importantly, the Ni/HIM-5 bi-functional catalyst exhibited a high activity (98.3%) and high selectivity for hydrocarbons (98.8%) when heated at 220°C for 1 h and is thus a new potential catalyst for the HDO of phenolics to form hydrocarbons in the aqueous phase.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

aqueous-phase hydrodeoxygenation / phenol / hydrocarbons / Ni/HIM-5 / bi-functional catalyst

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21908225), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFB0600505) and Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS (2014037).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2020 Higher Education Press