Synergistic effects in organic mixtures for enhanced catalytic hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation

The hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of organic mixtures are important processes in bio-oil conversion and plastics upcycling. Understanding how the presence of co-reactants in organic mixtures affects the kinetics is critical for designing reactors that can convert these mixtures into desired products. Here, we discuss cases in (electro)catalysis where the presence of a co-reactant R₂ enhances the rate of hydrogenation or HDO of another reactant R₁ beyond the rate if only R₁ is present. We divide the discussion into simple and complex mutual influences. Simple mutual influences occur when the presence of R₂ does not change the mechanism or values of rate constants of elementary steps for R₁. A complex mutual influence of R₂ on R₁ occurs if the presence of R₂ changes the rate constants of elementary steps involving R₁. We discuss challenges and opportunities in discerning the different mutual influences and increasing their synergistic effects in organic mixtures.