Confining redox-active metal sites in acidic porous scaffolds for the catalytic transformation of lignin-derived phenols to naphthenes

Abstract

The hydrodeoxygenation transformation of lignin-derived phenols provides an attractive pathway for the production of renewable biofuels; however, harsh process conditions strongly hinder its practical application. Herein, we report a porous metal silicate (PMS) material, PMS-36, which consists of metallic nickel and Lewis acid Al^III sites inside the pores, demonstrating high efficiency in catalyzing the hydrodeoxygenation transformation of guaiacol under mild conditions. PMS-36 also exhibits robust stability, which can be attributed to the strong interaction and charge transfer between metallic Ni and Al^III Lewis acid sites inside the confined pores. This study shows the importance of synergistic and confinement effects in developing high-performance and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the chemical transformation of biomass and its derivatives.