Hydrodeoxygenation of p-cresol on unsupported Ni-P catalysts prepared by thermal decomposition method

Unsupported Ni-P catalysts were prepared from the mixed precursor of NiCl2 and NaH2PO2 by thermal decomposition method, and their catalytic activities were measured using the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of p-cresol as probe. The effects of the H2PO2-/Ni2+ molar ratio in the precursor and the thermal decomposition temperature on the catalyst purity, crystallite size and HDO activity were studied. The HDO of p-cresol on these Ni-P catalysts proceeded with two parallel pathways yielding methylbenzene and methylcyclohexane as final products. The higher HDO catalytic activity of the catalyst was attributed to its bigger crystallite size and purer phase of Ni2P. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.