Novel biochar-based hybrid support catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene: A complete conversion with exceptional deactivation resistance

Abstract

Selective hydrogenation of 1,3-butadiene (BD) is an important reaction in producing high-purity olefins for industrial applications. However, catalyst deactivation and selectivity control render the partial hydrogenation reaction of BD to be rather challenging. In this study, we prepared a novel hybrid support made of zeolite and date pits -derived biochar (NZB) for nickel (Ni) -based catalysts. A 15 % Ni catalyst supported on NZB was tested over a wide temperature range of 150–350 °C. The catalyst achieved complete conversion at 200 °C and maintained over 90 % selectivity toward butenes across the tested range. With a turnover frequency (TOF) of 0.018 s⁻¹, high Ni dispersion (32.81 %), and a reduction degree of 70.94 %, the catalyst exhibited strong resistance to deactivation. Using date pits - derived biochar in such an efficient catalyst setup highlights a simple, scalable route toward greener industrial hydrogenation applications.