Efficient hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenolics to cyclohexanol with N-doped alumina- carbide‐based RuCo catalysts derived from MOF under mild conditions

In this work, a novel RuCo bimetallic supported on N-doped carbon support containing alumina was prepared by in-situ pyrolysis using MOF-303 as the support precursor (Ru₃Co₁@CN-Al₂O₃), and it was applied to the efficient hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol under mild conditions (0.01 MPa H₂, 200 °C, 3h), the yield of cyclohexanol reaches an impressive 83.12 %. In the absence of external hydrogen (2 MPa N₂, 220 °C, 2 h), complete conversion of guaiacol was achieved, along with a remarkable 97.81 % selectivity towards cyclohexanol. The HDO of guaiacol under different atmospheres was further studied, and the possible mechanism was proposed. Characterization results indicated that the supported metals (Ru and Co) not only interacted with the N in the MOF-303 to enhance catalyst stability but also that the synergistic effect between Ru and Co was key to promoting the high yield of cyclohexanol through catalytic transfer hydrodeoxygenation (CTHDO) in isopropanol. Additionally, Ru₃Co₁@CN-Al₂O₃ was also effective in achieving the HDO of macromolecular lignin. This study provides a feasible approach for the high value-added green transformation of lignin and its derivatives under mild conditions, highlighting the significant potential of MOFs for lignin valorization.