Biosynthesis of ruthenium nanoparticles supported on nitric acid modified activated carbon for liquid-phase hydrogenation of 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1,3-dione

• The dispersion of biosynthesis Ru nanoparticles was enhanced after modification.
• The acid modification of supports contributed to the high selectivity of CBDO.
• A TMCB conversion of 99.4% with 99.8% CBDO selectivity was achieved.

A plenty of uniform and spherical ruthenium nanoparticles were prepared by the adsorption–bioreduction method using the Cacumen Platycladi extract and supported on the activated carbon which was modified with nitric acid. The catalytic performance of as-prepared Ru/AC–HNO3 catalysts was investigated in the liquid phase hydrogenation of 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1,3-dione to 2,2,4,4-tetramethylcyclobutane-1,3-diol. Different characterization techniques of BET, XRD, TEM, and FTIR were applied to understand the origin of the catalytic activity. With a comprehensive analysis of the experimental results, we can draw a conclusion that the higher dispersion of ruthenium nanoparticles and the smaller particle size give rise to the results which indicate a remarkable enhancement of the catalytic performance in comparison with the non-modified AC samples.

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