Catalytic conversion of guaiacol to alcohols for bio-oil upgrading

Guaiacol was chosen to represent O-containing chemicals with lower effective hydrogen carbon ratio (H/C-eff factor) in bio-oil, and the hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol was investigated over non-precious and non-sulfided catalysts. Effects of metal composition, reaction temperature, and hydrogen pressure on conversion and selectivity were investigated systematically. Among various compositions of catalysts, NiCo/CNT exhibited best performance of guaiacol conversion with higher selectivity towards desired alcohols with higher H/C-eff factor. The reaction pathways of guaiacol in aqueous were proposed based on the product analyzed. Results show that metal composition and temperature have great effects on the conversion of guaiacol and the yields of desired products. (C) 2015 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics. All rights reserved.