Efficient Hydrodeoxygenation of Lignin-Derived Phenolic Compounds Over Ru-Based Catalyst with Biochar and Al₂O₃ as...

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is a common strategy for upgrading lignin-derived phenolic compounds into high-quality liquid fuels, and the support rational design of HDO catalysts is critical to achieve a good reaction performance. This work proposed a novel Ru-based catalyst with biochar and Al₂O₃ as composite support. The addition of biochar can enlarge the porous structure, and the addition of Al₂O₃ can enhance the acid property of the support. By regulating the content of biochar and Al₂O₃ components, Ru/CA-2 catalyst achieved the best HDO performance of lignin-derived phenolic compounds, with the optimal component balance of 50 %C and 50 %Al₂O₃. This catalyst possesses the high Ru metal dispersion (1.38 nm particle size) to activate the hydrogen source, the moderate acid property to suppress carbon deposition and the abundant oxygen vacancy to promote substrate adsorption at the same time. 99.9 % conversion of guaiacol is obtained at 230 °C, with 99.9 % selectivity towards cyclohexane. Ru/CA-2 catalyst also has a good recyclability, with no obvious activity loss after five runs. Furthermore, in the application of catalytic lignin-oil HDO, the content of hydrocarbons increase from 10.7 % to 95.7 %, showing great potential on the industrial usage.