Ni–Fe Nanoparticles Supported on UiO-66-X Catalyst for Hydrogenation of Fatty Acid Esters to Alcohols

Enhancing the performance of non-noble-metal catalysts would facilitate the economic feasibility of the chemical conversion process. Through strategies involving metal nanoparticles (MNPs) size control and support functionalization modification, Ni2Fe6/UiO-66-X-y catalysts (X stands for H, OH, CH3, and NH2, and y stands for the concentration of NaBH4 solution) were prepared for the efficiently selective hydrogenation of methyl laurate (ML) to 1-dodecanol. High-concentration NaBH4 solution facilitated the preparation of smaller-sized MNPs, while support functionalization could alter the chemical microenvironment of the support, thereby promoting electron transfer between appropriately sized MNPs and the support. In particular, the Ni2Fe6/UiO-66-NH2-0.4 M catalyst could achieve 99.9% conversion of ML and 98.6% selectivity for 1-dodecanol when it was reacted at 220 °C and 3 MPa H2 for 8 h. The probable catalytic mechanism based on the η2(C, O)-aldehyde conformation was discussed, and reaction kinetics were calculated. Furthermore, the catalyst achieved five stable recycling runs and demonstrated catalytic versatility for other fatty acid methyl esters, including methyl stearate, methyl palmitate, and methyl valerate.