Eugenol Hydrodeoxygenation Over Mixed Mo-W Carbides.

The modification of molybdenum carbide catalysts by another transition metal has raised an increasing research interest due to the significant improvement of catalyst activity in hydrodeoxygenation of lignin derivatives. At par with the commonly used Co and Ni that add a strong hydrogenation functionality, it was found that the addition of the more oxophilic W restricts ring hydrogenation while allowing the deoxygenation of oxygenated compounds and thus yielding higher selectivity toward the formation of non-oxygenated aromatic compounds. The coexistence of MoC with WC along with metallic W altered the electronic properties of MoC which resulted in an increase of catalyst active site density and facilitated further total eugenol deoxygenation.