Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts

The elevated oxygen content in lignin-derived oil restricts its direct application as a liquid fuel. Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts are commonly employed to enhance the quality of lignin-derived oil via the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process. In this study, we s...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wen Huang, Chengyan Wen, Yanting Su, Xinghua Zhang, Longlong Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3044
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849472392194162688
author Wen Huang
Chengyan Wen
Yanting Su
Xinghua Zhang
Longlong Ma
author_facet Wen Huang
Chengyan Wen
Yanting Su
Xinghua Zhang
Longlong Ma
author_sort Wen Huang
collection DOAJ
description The elevated oxygen content in lignin-derived oil restricts its direct application as a liquid fuel. Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts are commonly employed to enhance the quality of lignin-derived oil via the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process. In this study, we successfully synthesized Ni-supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts with diverse mesopore structural parameters of the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> support. Subsequently, we investigated the impacts of mesoporous size and volume on the HDO of guaiacol, a representative model compound of lignin-derived oil. The results indicate that optimizing the mesoporous size can enhance catalyst stability and significantly boost selectivity for cyclohexane. Moreover, an increase in the mesoporous volume can further improve the selectivity of cycloalkanes in the products. When the Ni/meso-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-F-100 catalyst was utilized, the cycloalkane selectivity reached 98.8%. During the upgrading of lignin-derived oil, the Ni/meso-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-F-200 catalyst, featuring a mesopore size of 4.07 nm and a mesopore volume of 0.286 cm<sup>3</sup>/g, exhibited outstanding performance. Notably, its selectivity for alkanes reached 65.9%, significantly higher than that of the commercial Ni/c-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst, which has a mesopore size of 3.83 nm and a mesopore volume of 0.184 cm<sup>3</sup>/g. This work offers valuable insights into the design of efficient and stable Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts for upgrading lignin-derived oil.
format Article
id doaj-art-4bfdfcef07204ff798c998f7369b54a5
institution Kabale University
issn 1996-1073
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Energies
spelling doaj-art-4bfdfcef07204ff798c998f7369b54a52025-08-20T03:24:33ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-06-011812304410.3390/en18123044Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> CatalystsWen Huang0Chengyan Wen1Yanting Su2Xinghua Zhang3Longlong Ma4School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaSchool of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 211100, ChinaThe elevated oxygen content in lignin-derived oil restricts its direct application as a liquid fuel. Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts are commonly employed to enhance the quality of lignin-derived oil via the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process. In this study, we successfully synthesized Ni-supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts with diverse mesopore structural parameters of the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> support. Subsequently, we investigated the impacts of mesoporous size and volume on the HDO of guaiacol, a representative model compound of lignin-derived oil. The results indicate that optimizing the mesoporous size can enhance catalyst stability and significantly boost selectivity for cyclohexane. Moreover, an increase in the mesoporous volume can further improve the selectivity of cycloalkanes in the products. When the Ni/meso-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-F-100 catalyst was utilized, the cycloalkane selectivity reached 98.8%. During the upgrading of lignin-derived oil, the Ni/meso-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-F-200 catalyst, featuring a mesopore size of 4.07 nm and a mesopore volume of 0.286 cm<sup>3</sup>/g, exhibited outstanding performance. Notably, its selectivity for alkanes reached 65.9%, significantly higher than that of the commercial Ni/c-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst, which has a mesopore size of 3.83 nm and a mesopore volume of 0.184 cm<sup>3</sup>/g. This work offers valuable insights into the design of efficient and stable Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts for upgrading lignin-derived oil.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3044lignin-derived oilNi-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalystshydrodeoxygenationmesoporeguaiacolcycloalkanes
spellingShingle Wen Huang
Chengyan Wen
Yanting Su
Xinghua Zhang
Longlong Ma
Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
Energies
lignin-derived oil
Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts
hydrodeoxygenation
mesopore
guaiacol
cycloalkanes
title Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
title_full Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
title_fullStr Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
title_short Effect of Mesopore Structural Parameters in Alumina Supports on Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cycloalkanes via Ni-Supported Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Catalysts
title_sort effect of mesopore structural parameters in alumina supports on catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol to cycloalkanes via ni supported al sub 2 sub o sub 3 sub catalysts
topic lignin-derived oil
Ni-based Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts
hydrodeoxygenation
mesopore
guaiacol
cycloalkanes
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/12/3044
work_keys_str_mv AT wenhuang effectofmesoporestructuralparametersinaluminasupportsoncatalytichydrodeoxygenationofguaiacoltocycloalkanesvianisupportedalsub2subosub3subcatalysts
AT chengyanwen effectofmesoporestructuralparametersinaluminasupportsoncatalytichydrodeoxygenationofguaiacoltocycloalkanesvianisupportedalsub2subosub3subcatalysts
AT yantingsu effectofmesoporestructuralparametersinaluminasupportsoncatalytichydrodeoxygenationofguaiacoltocycloalkanesvianisupportedalsub2subosub3subcatalysts
AT xinghuazhang effectofmesoporestructuralparametersinaluminasupportsoncatalytichydrodeoxygenationofguaiacoltocycloalkanesvianisupportedalsub2subosub3subcatalysts
AT longlongma effectofmesoporestructuralparametersinaluminasupportsoncatalytichydrodeoxygenationofguaiacoltocycloalkanesvianisupportedalsub2subosub3subcatalysts