PNNL

Abstract

The state of Ni supported on HZSM-5 zeolite, silica, and sulfonated carbon was determined during aqueous phase catalysis of phenol hydrodeoxygenation using in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS). On sulfonated carbon and HZSM-5 supports, the NiO and Ni(OH)2 were readily reduced to Ni(0) under reaction conditions (~35 bar H2 in aqueous phenol solutions containing up to 0.5 wt. % phosphoric acid at 473 K). On the silica support, less than 70% of the Ni was converted to Ni(0) under reaction conditions, which is attributed to the formation of Ni phyllosilicates. Over a broad range of reaction conditions there was no leaching of Ni from the supports. In contrast, rapid leaching of the Ni(II) from HZSM-5 was observed, when 15 wt. % aqueous acetic acid was substituted for the aqueous phenol solution. Once the metallic state of Ni was established there was no leaching in 15 wt. % acetic acid at 473 K and 35 bar H2. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. The STEM was supported under the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program: Chemical Imaging Initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a multi-program national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830. STEM was performed at EMSL, a DOE Office of Science user facility sponsored by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at PNNL.