@article {46306, title = {Understanding the influence of alumina supported ruthenium catalysts synthesis and reaction parameters on the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin derived monomers}, journal = {Molecular Catalysis}, volume = {480}, year = {2020}, month = {JAN}, pages = {UNSP 110525}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Up-gradation of lignin derived monomers to value-added and fuel grade products is important to make overall bio-refinery process economical. Although, few studies are devoted on this work yet, systematic study on commercially viable (low loading of metal, recyclable catalyst, mild conditions, high selectivities etc.) is scarce and typically done under harsh conditions. Herein, we report, the methodical effect of support (SiO2, Al2O3 (acidic, basic and neutral), SiO2-Al2O3) on the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin derived various monomers, guaiacol, veretrol, eugenol, phenol using very low loading (0.5 wt\%) Ru catalyst. Very high yield (82\%) of cyclohexanol from guaiacol could be achieved in presence of cyclohexane as a solvent and Ru/Al2O3-Acidic catalyst at 225 degrees C and under 1 MPa H-2 pressure. The detailed study on the effect of solvent, stability and adsorption of reactant \& products etc. is done and it was observed that products are more prone to adsorb and undergo further reactions. The complete characterization of fresh and spent catalysts revealed that lower catalyst reduction temperature and presence of Ru in partially higher oxidation state proved by XPS, helps in enhancing the cyclohexanol formation. Subsequently, role of Ru particle size and support on the activity was also investigated.

}, keywords = {Cyclohexanol, Hydrodeoxygenation, lignin, reaction pathway, supported metal catalyst}, issn = {2468-8231}, doi = {10.1016/j.mcat.2019.110525}, author = {Singh, Dheerendra and Dhepe, Paresh L.} } @article {47109, title = {Efficient catalytic transfer hydrogenation-hydrodeoxygenation of lignin derived monomers: investigating catalyst properties-activity correlation}, journal = {Catalysis Communications}, volume = {149}, year = {2021}, month = {JAN }, pages = {106220}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

Reduction of O/C ratio of lignin derived monomers via hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) pathway is conventionally furnished using molecular hydrogen under severe conditions. Nonetheless, due to a prerequisite to accomplish HDO through commercially attractive methodology we report, HDO reactions of various phenolic compounds via catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) pathway using very low loading of Ru (0.5 wt\%) on neutral and acidic Al2O3 under nitrogen atmosphere. With guaiacol as a substrate, 74\% cyclohexanol yield at 225 degrees C in the presence of IPA is realized. Bi-functionality of metal state, acidity of support and nature of alcohol are perceived to be responsible for the variation in activity.

}, keywords = {Catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH), Cyclohexanol, Hydrodeoxygenation, lignin, Supported metal catalysts}, issn = {1566-7367}, doi = {10.1016/j.catcom.2020.106220}, author = {Singh, Dheerendra and Dhepe, Paresh L.} } @article {47627, title = {Mechanistic investigations on the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of lignin-derived monomers over Ru catalysts: theoretical and kinetic studies}, journal = {ACS Sustainable Chemistry \& Engineering}, volume = {9}, year = {2021}, month = {OCT}, pages = {14040-14050}, type = {Article}, abstract = {The hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction of oxygenated compounds such as lignin-derived phenolics is well studied using molecular H-2 as a hydrogen source, yet the use of high pressures discourages its use on an industrial scale. As an alternative, the catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) pathway provides in situ hydrogenation species, which reduces the need for the high-pressure infrastructure required when molecular hydrogen is used. Nevertheless, this strategy is scantly studied, and in lieu with this, herein we report the kinetic and mechanistic investigations of the CTH strategy for the HDO of guaiacol, phenol, anisole veratrole, and eugenol to their respective products. For potential commercialization purposes, low loading of metal, milder reaction conditions, and high selectivity toward desired products with a high H/C ratio were considered while designing catalysts (0.5 wt \% Ru on SiO2-Al2O3, SiO2, Al2O3-acidic, Al2O3-basic, and Al2O3-neutral) for these reactions. As high as 74\% cyclohexanol yield from guaiacol was achieved at 225 degrees C in the presence of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the hydrogen source and over the Ru/Al2O3-acidic catalyst reduced at 150 degrees C. A detailed kinetic study is carried out to understand the interaction of the substrate and intermediates with the catalyst and the influence of reaction parameters on the product formation. It was observed that the cisisomer of 2-methoxycyclohexanol rapidly undergoes further conversion than the trans-isomer. The experimental observations are substantiated through density functional theory (DFT) studies on Ru(0001) and guaiacol molecule complexes. DFT studies indicate that the adsorption of the cis-isomer is more exothermic as compared to that of the trans counterpart, and the underlying electronic factors are elucidated using charge density difference and density of states plots.}, keywords = {catalytic transfer hydrogenation, Cyclohexanol, DFT, Hydrodeoxygenation, kinetics, lignin monomers, Supported metal catalysts}, issn = {2168-0485}, doi = {10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c02942}, author = {Khan, Tufeil Sartaj and Singh, Dheerendra and Samal, Pragnya Paramita and Krishnamurty, Sailaja and Dhepe, Paresh Laxmikant} } @article {49797, title = {Continuous flow hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived guaiacol to cyclohexanol over durable Al2O3 hollow fiber supported co catalyst}, journal = {ChemCatChem}, volume = {17}, year = {2025}, month = {SEP}, type = {Article}, abstract = {

The drive to decarbonize the chemical, oil, and gas industries through use of bio-derived resources is intensifying. This study focuses on converting lignin-derived phenolic compounds into cyclohexanol, a precursor for adipic acid production. The alumina hollow fiber supported cobalt catalyst (5Co/AHF@capillary) prepared by capillary action method was found to consist cobalt in both metallic and +delta oxidation states. Initial tests in a batch-mode reactor showed promising results, with 5Co/AHF@capillary catalyst demonstrating catalytic activity comparable to Ru/Al2O3 systems (225 degrees C, 1 MPa H-2, 4 h), achieving similar to 86\% cyclohexanol yield in guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation reactions. The catalytic system was then adapted for continuous flow reactors under milder conditions (300 degrees C, 2.5 MPa H-2, 18 mL min(-1)), resulting in 83\% guaiacol conversion and 74\% cyclohexanol yield. The durability of the catalyst was checked for \>80 h and results claim that catalyst was active in yielding consistent results. The roles of catalyst preparation method, hydrogen pressure, solvent, WHSV were thoroughly checked and discussed.

}, keywords = {biomass valorization, Carbon, Co/Al2O3, Cyclohexanol, lignin}, issn = {1867-3880}, doi = {10.1002/cctc.202500656}, author = {Singh, Dheerendra and Jogdand, Shunottara M. and Devi, R. Nandini and Dhepe, Paresh L.} }