Molybdate incorporated α-Ni(OH)2: potential catalyst for oxidation of Iso-eugenol and anisole hydrotreating

The molybdate-incorporated hydrotalcite-type α-Ni(OH)₂ catalysts were prepared by the post-synthesis method. The synthesized catalyst was thoroughly studied using several physicochemical characterization methods. The catalytic activity of the material was studied on biomass model compounds such as anisole hydrotreating and the oxidation of iso-eugenol. The catalyst shows a significant conversion for the anisole hydrotreating in vapour phase conditions, yielding a steady-state conversion of 30% even after 10 h of time-on-stream (TOS). The primary product was benzene, with other products, viz., methyl anisole, methylcyclohexane, and toluene, as minor components. The catalyst also has the potential for iso-eugenol oxidation and shows 76.1% conversion with 75.5% selectivity for vanillin at 100 °C, 5 h.

Graphical abstract

Molybdate-incorporated hydrotalcite-type α-Ni(OH)₂ catalysts have the potential for oxidation of iso-eugenol to vanillin in the presence of an oxidant in a liquid phase and hydro-deoxygenation in the vapour phase under a hydrogen atmosphere.