Harvesting alkyl phenols from lignin monomers via selective hydrodeoxygenation under ambient pressure on Pd/α-MoC catalysts

Abstract

Alkyl phenol is an essential chemical intermediate that is in high demand in the chemical industry. The synthesis of alkyl phenols from lignin-derived molecules is one of the most promising routes for utilizing biomass resources. Herein, we report the catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of dihydroeugenol (DHE) to alkyl phenols over a highly dispersed Pd/α-MoC catalyst with a substrate conversion of 98% and a selectivity of 96% to alkyl phenols. The Pd/α-MoC catalyst prepared by co-precipitation and temperature-programmed carbonization exhibits exceptional HDO activity under mild conditions with a low H2 pressure (1–10 bars). The characterizations of the catalyst suggest that Pd are highly dispersed on the α-MoC matrix. The reaction mechanism was investigated using the substrate scope experiments. Under ambient pressure, the abundant oxygen vacancies and acidity sites on Pd/α-MoC enable the selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin monomers.