Functional groups anchoring-induced Ni/MoOx-Ov interface on rice husk char for hydrodeoxygenation of bio-guaiacol to BTX at ambient-pressure

Bio-char is a promising carrier for the catalysts applied in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of bio-oil. The impact of bio-char surface microenvironment on the active phase needs to be further explored. In this work, O-containing functional groups were employed in adjusting the surface microenvironment of biomass-derived char with Ni–Mo loading. And the effect of geometric structure and electronic modification of Ni/MoOx-Ov interface on the atmospheric HDO activity of guaiacol over Ni-MoOx/bio-char catalyst was studied. Multiple characterizations revealed that the O-containing functional groups on bio-char carriers not only promoted the dispersion of active metals, but also decreased the particle size, thus resulting in the boosting of Ni/MoOx-Ov interface. Moreover, the intrinsic active sites were sumi-quantitatively analyzed via H2-TPD, and a positive correlation was established between BTX yield and quantity of Ni/MoOx-Ov interface. Furthermore, the effects of hydrothermal parameters for preparing bio-char, HDO conditions (temperature, WHSV and stability) and the metal loadings on the catalytic performance of Ni-MoOx/bio-char catalysts were studied in detail. This work provides a theoretical support to develop cost-effective catalysts with the utilization of biomass waste material.