Hydrodeoxygenation of 2-methoxyphenol over different Re active phases supported on SiO2 catalysts

• Published in: Applied catalysis. A, General Vol. 490; pp. 71 - 79
• Main Authors: Leiva, K., Martinez, N., Sepulveda, C., García, R., Jiménez, C.A., Laurenti, D., Vrinat, M., Geantet, C., Fierro, J.L.G., Ghampson, I.T., Escalona, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 25-01-2015; Elsevier
• Subjects: Catalysis; Chemical Sciences; Environment and Society; Environmental Sciences; Guaiacol; Hydrodeoxygenation; Re metallic; ReOx; ReS2; Guaiacol; ReOx; Hydrodeoxygenation; ReS2; Re metallic
• ISSN: 0926-860X; 1873-3875
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcata.2014.10.054

•Guaiacol conversion was studied over supported rhenium-based catalysts.•ReOx was the most active and selective catalyst towards deoxygenated products.•The high activity of ReOx/SiO2 catalyst was attributed to oxygen vacancies.•ReS2/SiO2 and Re/SiO2 catalysts were highly active for phenol production.
The conversion of guaiacol, a lignin model compound, over SiO2-supported Re metal, oxide and sulfide catalysts in a batch reactor at 300°C and 5MPa of hydrogen pressure were studied. The oxide catalyst was prepared by wet impregnation with a loading of 2.5atom of Re per nm2 of support. The sulfide and metal catalysts were prepared by sulfidation and reduction, respectively, of the Re oxide catalyst. The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Catalytic activity was correlated with XPS analysis of the post-reaction catalysts. The ReOx/SiO2 catalyst was the most active and selective towards deoxygenated products, and this was attributed to increase in the concentration of metal oxide defect sites (due to in situ partial reduction of the oxide catalyst during the reaction). This result reveals the high potential of ReOx/SiO2 catalyst for bio-oil upgrading because it shows, among other things, that it is unnecessary to add undesirable sulfiding agent to maintain catalytic activity.