Noble Metal Supported on Activated Carbon for “Hydrogen Free” HDO Reactions: Exploring Economically Advantageous Routes for Biomass Valorisation

Abstract

An innovative route for bio-compounds upgrading via “hydrogen-free” hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) is proposed and evaluated using guaiacol as a model compound in a high-pressure batch reactor. Experimental results showed that noble metal supported on activated carbon catalysts are able to conduct tandem multiple steps including water splitting and subsequent HDO. The activity of Ru/C catalyst is superior to other studied catalysts (i. e. Au/C, Pd/C and Rh/C) in our water-only HDO reaction system. The greater dispersion and smaller metal particle size confirmed by the TEM micrographs accounts for the better performance of Ru/C. This material also presents excellent levels of stability as demonstrated in multiple recyclability runs. Overall, the proposed novel approach confirmed the viability of oxygenated bio-compounds upgrading in a water-only reaction system suppressing the need of external H supply and can be rendered as a fundamental finding for the economical biomass valorisation to produce added value bio-fuels.