The ethylbenzene hydrogenation over Ni-H3PW12O40/SiO2 in the presence of thiophene

► Introduction of HPW improves sulfur resistance of Ni-based hydrogenation catalyst. ► Ni-HPW/SiO2 catalysts possess well-dispersed active particles with bimodal pores. ► H2-adsorbed capacity is largely improved by addition of HPW into Ni-based catalyst. ► The interaction of HPW and Ni remarkably enhances the quantity of Lewis acid sites.