Bimetallic Ni and Mo Nitride as an Efficient Catalyst for Hydrodeoxygenation of Palmitic Acid
Xiangze Du, Xiaomei Lei, Linyuan Zhou, Yong Peng, Yan Zeng, Huiru Yang, Dan Li, Changwei Hu, Hermenegildo Garcı́a
Abstract
In the context of the preparation of liquid fuels derived from biomass with zero CO2 footprint, fatty acids appear as suitable feedstocks. However, reduction of carboxylic acid groups usually requires harsh reaction conditions and the development of efficient solid catalysts. Herein, bimetallic Ni–Mo nitrides have been obtained by a procedure not involving nitridation of the corresponding oxide, but reductive decomposition of the tris(ethylenediamine)nickel molybdate at temperatures between 550 and 700 °C. Successful formation of the Ni3Mo3N nitride is confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Ni3Mo3N samples are found to be efficient catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of palmitic acid to C15/C16 alkanes with a combined selectivity over 90 and 100% palmitic acid conversion and higher activity than analogous Ni–Mo nitrides obtained by NH3 nitridation of NiMoO4. Ni3Mo3N is found recyclable with only a slight decay in the catalytic activity upon consecutive reuses attributable to the neutralization of acid sites. The present results show an opportunity that bimetallic nitrides offer as robust advanced solid catalysts for reactions of biomass conversion requiring harsh conditions.