Supported nickel catalyst for hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol

The catalytic activity of nickel catalysts supported by kieselguhr,anatase titania,alumina and kaolin for hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol were investigated.The structure and reducibility of the supported catalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and temperature-programmed reduction(TPR) techniques.The supported nickel catalysts had high selectivity toward formation of p-aminophenol.There existed weak interaction between NiO and kieselguhr or anatase alumina and the reduced catalysts had high catalytic activity for hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol.Al2O3-and kaolin-supported nickel catalysts had lower activity for hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol due to the strong interaction between nickel and the supports.