Stability and activity of Pt and Ni catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation in supercritical water

•Pt/C and Raney NiCu are stable, active catalysts for HDO in supercritical water.•Formic acid, a product from biomass conversion, supplies the H2 necessary for HDO.•Raney NiCu is a cheap catalyst for HDO in supercritical water.

We determined the stability, activity, and selectivity of Pt/C, Ni/SiO2Al2O3, Raney Ni 2800, and Raney NiCu for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of o-cresol in supercritical water at 380 °C. We also demonstrate the feasibility of using a renewable chemical, formic acid, for the in situ production of the H2 needed for HDO. Pt/C, Raney Ni, and Raney NiCu were stable in supercritical water, but only Pt/C and Raney NiCu were selective to deoxygenated products. The Raney NiCu catalyst provided a 3.4-fold increase in yield of deoxygenated products when compared with the Raney Ni catalyst by decreasing the CC bond hydrogenolysis activity. The Raney NiCu catalyst was stable throughout the 24 h time on stream that was examined and appears to be a promising catalyst for further study and optimization.

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