Hydrodeoxygenation of p-cresol over CuNi@C catalyst derived from metal-organic frameworks precursor

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation is becoming more important industrially due to the urgent need for the conversion of oxygen-rich biomass into a renewable hydrocarbon energy source as means to tackle the climate change crisis. This research examined the catalytic hydrogenation of p-cresol as a model compound, using CuNi bimetallic nanoparticles incorporated into a carbon matrix (CuNi@C) as the catalysts, which were prepared using MOFs as the precursors. Various MOFs with varying molar content of nickel (Cu, CuNi0.2, CuNi0.5, CuNi0.8 and CuNi1.1) were prepared and used to derive the MOF-based bimetallic catalysts. The effect of the relative bimetallic compositions, surface morphology, and the oxidation of the metals of the catalysts was studied at different hydrogenation reaction temperatures varying from 200 to 300 °C. Advanced characterisations demonstrate that the MOF-derived Cu/Ni carbon nanocomposite catalyst at a Cu/Ni mole ratio of 0.5 (CuNi0.5/C) shows the highest catalytic activities at 300 °C, giving rise to a conversion rate of 80.3% and selectivity of 82.7% for the formation of 4-methylcyclohexanol (hydrogenation pathway). Cyclic hydrogenation tests also reveal that the CuNi0.5/C showed the highest thermochemical stability with a negligible decrease in catalytic activity despite the high temperature examined for a fast conversion. The preliminary results augur well for the sound promise of using corresponding MOFs derived novel catalysts for hydrogenation application.