Selective decarboxylation of biobased fatty acids using a Ni-FSM-16 catalyst

A novel catalyst based on nickel supported on a folded sheet material (FSM) was synthesized and fully characterized. The resulting Ni-FSM-16 catalyst showed a high reactivity and selectivity in decarboxylation of plantbased carboxylic acids to yield the corresponding linear alkenes and alkanes in up to 75 % yield and less than 5 % of undesired cracking products. In addition, lignin-derived vanillic acid was smoothly converted to guaiacol. A comparative investigation showed that both the support and the metal of the Ni-FSM-16 catalyst proved to be pivotal for the reactivity. Particularly, substituting Ni with Fe, Pd or Al or replacing the FSM-16 support with MCM-41 or SBA-15 led to lower reactivity and selectivity towards linear decarboxylated products. The superior catalytic performance of Ni-FSM-16 was driven by a higher and more even metal distribution, more acidic silanol-group and an electron-rich, thus softer Ni, that promote coordination by the carbon-carbon double-bond of the fatty acid.

Automated summary

A novel nickel catalyst supported on a folded sheet material (FSM) was synthesized and characterized, showing high reactivity and selectivity in decarboxylation reactions. Comparative investigation revealed that both the support and the metal of the catalyst were crucial for its superior catalytic performance.