Ni-Mo alloy anchored on carbon nitride coated γ-Al2O3 for hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenols into aviation fuel-range cycloalkanes

Lignin-derived phenols, with their high energy density and rich aromatic structure, are potentially high-quality feedstocks for the production of aviation fuel-range cycloalkanes. Herein, we fabricated a Ni Mo alloy catalyst anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) coated γ-Al 2 O 3 (10Ni-5Mo/CN@γ-Al 2 O 3 ), which could completely hydrodeoxygenate various lignin-derived phenols into cycloalkanes under mild conditions. 10Ni-5Mo/CN@γ-Al 2 O 3 significantly catalyzed the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin oil at 240 °C under 3 MPa H 2 for 8 h, achieving a deoxygenation degree of 96.5 % and a high propylcyclohexane selectivity (41.8 %), and the resulting products met the requirements for aviation fuels. The study results showed that electron transfer within Ni Mo alloys and the strong interaction between g-C 3 N 4 and surface anchored Ni Mo alloys in 10Ni-5Mo/CN@γ-Al 2 O 3 facilitated the dissociation of H 2 into active hydrogen to hydrogenate the aromatic rings. Meanwhile, the formation of oxygen vacancies enhanced the adsorption and activation ability of the catalyst for oxygen-containing substrates, which was beneficial for the demethoxylation and dehydroxylation reactions. This work provides a new strategy for constructing supported non-noble metal catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin oil into aviation fuels. • A highly dispersed Ni Mo alloy catalyst anchored on g-C 3 N 4 coated γ-Al 2 O 3 was fabricated. • Lignin oil was hydrodeoxygenated to aviation fuel-range cycloalkanes over 10Ni-5Mo/CN@γ-Al 2 O 3 . • The electron transfer within Ni Mo alloys promotes the formation of dissociated H. • The formation of oxygen vacancies can enhance the adsorption ability of catalyst for substrates.