The efficient hydrogenolysis of esters to alkanes is the key protocol for producing advanced biofuels from renewable plant oils or fats.Due to the low reactivity of the carbonyl group in esters,a high reaction tempera...The efficient hydrogenolysis of esters to alkanes is the key protocol for producing advanced biofuels from renewable plant oils or fats.Due to the low reactivity of the carbonyl group in esters,a high reaction temperature(>250℃)is the prerequisite to ensure high conversion of esters.Here,we report a highly dispersed MoO_(x)-Ru/C bimetallic catalyst for the efficient hydrogenolysis of esters to alkanes under 150°C.The optimal catalyst exhibits>99%conversion of methyl stearate and 99%selectivity to diesel-range alkanes,reaching a high rate of up to 2.0 mmol gcat^(–1)h^(–1),5 times higher than that of Ru/C catalyst(MoO_(x)/C is inert).Integrated experimental and theoretical investigations attribute the high performance to the abundant MoO_(x)-Ru interfacial sites on the catalyst surface,which offers high activity for the C–O cleavage of esters.Furthermore,the dispersed MoO_(x)species significantly weaken the hydrocracking activity of the metallic Ru for C–C bonds,thus yielding alkane products without carbon loss.This study provides a facile and novel strategy for the design of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived esters to alkane products.展开更多
文摘The efficient hydrogenolysis of esters to alkanes is the key protocol for producing advanced biofuels from renewable plant oils or fats.Due to the low reactivity of the carbonyl group in esters,a high reaction temperature(>250℃)is the prerequisite to ensure high conversion of esters.Here,we report a highly dispersed MoO_(x)-Ru/C bimetallic catalyst for the efficient hydrogenolysis of esters to alkanes under 150°C.The optimal catalyst exhibits>99%conversion of methyl stearate and 99%selectivity to diesel-range alkanes,reaching a high rate of up to 2.0 mmol gcat^(–1)h^(–1),5 times higher than that of Ru/C catalyst(MoO_(x)/C is inert).Integrated experimental and theoretical investigations attribute the high performance to the abundant MoO_(x)-Ru interfacial sites on the catalyst surface,which offers high activity for the C–O cleavage of esters.Furthermore,the dispersed MoO_(x)species significantly weaken the hydrocracking activity of the metallic Ru for C–C bonds,thus yielding alkane products without carbon loss.This study provides a facile and novel strategy for the design of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived esters to alkane products.