Magnetically Separable Ni-based Robust Nanocatalyst for Hydrogenation of Substituted Aromatics in Renewable Bio-Kerosene

The magnetically separable Ni/NiO nanocatalyst was synthesized for hydrogenation of substituted aromatics in renewable biokerosene fuel. The catalyst showed acidity of 0.21 mmol/g and ferromagnetic character. The catalytic activity was compared with the traditional noble metal-based catalysts (Pd/NiO, Ni/Al2O3, Pd/Al2O3, and Pt/Al2O3). Among all the catalysts, the non-noble metal catalysts (Ni/NiO, Ni/Al2O3) showed complete conversion (100%) of aromatics to cycloalkanes at the optimal reaction conditions of temperature = 150 degrees C, Pressure = 100 bar, catalyst mass = 0.6 g, and reaction time = 14 hr. The activation energy for the Ni/NiO catalyst was 51 kjmol(-1), similar to Ni/Al2O3 (53 kjmol(-1)). The coke deposition was much lower for Ni/NiO (<1 wt%) which was lower than Ni/Al2O3 catalyst. Furthermore, FTIR analysis also confirmed the absence of any observable carbon deposition in the used Ni/NiO catalyst while spent Ni/Al2O3 showed prominent peaks due to deposited carbonaceous compounds.