Pd nanoparticles decorated cellulose-derived carbon fibers-catalyzed reduction of nitroaromatic pollutants

Palladium nanoparticles were immobilized on carbon fibers (CFs) by in situ reduction of Pd(II) ions in the presence of cellulose fibers extracted from Yucca plant leaves, followed by hydrothermal carbonization at 200 °C. The resulting Pd NPs decorated on CFs (Pd@CFs) were characterized using various techniques, including SEM, TEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, ICP-MS, BET, BJH, Raman spectroscopy, and FT-IR techniques. ICP-MS analysis revealed the Pd loading content to be 0.83%. The prepared Pd@CFs exhibited high catalytic activity for the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds, which are a significant source of pollution in surface water. Hydrogenation of various substituted nitroarenes was performed under optimized conditions, yielding full conversion to the corresponding aniline derivatives within 8-45 min and a turnover frequency of 117-658 h^-1. Catalyst recovery studies indicated that the catalyst could be recycled and reused for four runs without a considerable loss in catalytic activity. Preparation of carbon fibers using Yucca plant leaves as a green support for the immobilization of Pd NPs, and their application as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogenation of nitroarenes, is the novelty of the present work.