Selective hydroprocessing of diphenyl ether into benzene over in situ generated MoOx and WOx

The catalytic activity of molybdenum and tungsten oxides formed in situ from their carbonyls was studied in the hydroprocessing of diphenyl ether (DPE) for the first time. The MoOx and WOx catalysts obtained were characterized by XRD, XPS, HRTEM, EDX, Raman spectroscopy, and NH3TPD. The effect of various parameters on the substrate conversion and the yields of products was investigated. Oxygen vacancies (OVs) on the catalyst surface were found to be active sites in the DPE hydroprocessing. MoOx was more active than WOx due to more OVs on the surface of the catalyst. Benzene was obtained as a major product over both of catalysts with a highest yield of 87% (99% DPE conversion) over MoOx and of 69% (96% DPE conversion) over WOx.