Highly dispersed Ru immobilized on Ni-modified Al2O3 for selective hydrogenation of bisphenol A to hydrogenated bisphenol A

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is ubiquitous in industrial production and daily life. However, BPA is harmful to the health of fetuses and children due to its potential endocrine-disrupting effects. Hydrogenated bisphenol A (HBPA), an alicyclic diol generated from hydrogenating the double bonds of two benzene rings in the BPA molecule, is supposed to be a perfect substitute for BPA due to its stability and non-toxicity. Nevertheless, the rational design of high-performance catalysts for selectively converting BPA into HBPA remains a significant challenge. In this work, highly dispersed Ru immobilized by Al₂O₃ modified with a Ni promoter (Ru/Ni–Al₂O₃) has been constructed, enabling BPA to undergo selective hydrogenation to produce HBPA under mild conditions. The doping of a Ni promoter around Ru active sites effectively regulated the selectivity of target reaction. Both characterization and experimental results validated that the Ni promoter manipulated the electronic state of Ru through strong electron interaction between Ni and Ru, and thus the catalytic performance. In addition, the catalytic performance was also dependent on other reaction parameters such as H₂ pressure, reaction temperature, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), and hydrogen–oil volume ratio. The optimized Ru/0.1Ni–Al₂O₃ catalyst achieved a BPA conversion of 100% and an HBPA selectivity of 96.4% under optimal reaction conditions (6 MPa H₂, 140 °C, 0.42 h⁻¹ LHSV, and 1500 : 1 hydrogen–oil volume ratio).