Boron nitride as an alternative support of Pd catalysts for the selective oxidation of lactose

The potential of boron nitride as innovative support for the selective oxidation of carbohydrates has been evaluated. Pd/h-BN catalysts as well as Pd/α-Al2O3 have been synthesized by two different methods for comparison: dry impregnation and deposition–precipitation. It is shown that BN is a suitable alternative to alumina and carbon for sugar oxidation in liquid phase. Very active and selective Pd/h-BN catalysts were obtained by the two synthetic methods under consideration.

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► Boron nitride could replace alumina or carbon supports for applications in water.
► Pd/BN catalysts were readily prepared by dry impregnation or deposition–precipitation.
► Pd/h-BN catalysts were amenable to in situ Raman characterization.
► Catalysts supported on BN were more active than the analogues on alumina.