Supported Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles as an efficient catalyst for the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin with formic acid at room temperature

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) for upgrading biomass usually requires high temperature and high H-2 pressure. Herein, g-C3N4-supported Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles are reported as an efficient catalyst for the HDO of vanillin, a typical biomass-derived compound, and some other aromatic aldehydes. With the catalyst and formic acid as the hydrogen donor, the reaction occurs at room temperature and under atmospheric air, and a satisfactory yield of the desired product was achieved within 1 h. A two-phase solvent of H2O and EA was used, and the catalyst could be reused at least 5 times. The superior performance of PdAu/g-C3N4 compared to monometallic catalysts could be mainly ascribed to the synergistic catalysis inside the catalyst, which was explored via characterization analysis.

Automated summary

In this study, efficient Pd-Au bimetallic nanoparticles supported on g-C3N4 were used as catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived compounds at room temperature. The catalyst exhibited superior performance and could be reused multiple times.