Hydrogenation and ring opening of tetralin on supported nickel zirconium-doped mesoporous silica catalysts.: Influence of the nickel precursor

When mesoporous silica doped with zirconium with a MCM-41-type structure as a support was used, three different supported nickel catalysts were prepared by means of incipient wetness impregnation using different nickel salt solutions. Impregnation with aqueous or ethanolic nickel nitrate solutions gives rise to large Ni particles, whereas with an aqueous nickel citrate solution, the formation of small particles with a high metallic area is observed. Therefore, the use of nickel citrate as the nickel source effectively inhibits the aggregation of nickel particles. This catalyst showed the highest catalytic activity in the hydrogenation and ring opening of tetralin at a moderate temperature (648 K) and high hydrogen pressure (6 MPa), exhibiting a THN conversion of 90% with a high yield of hydrogenation products (53.8%) and cracking compounds (36.1%).