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The activity of NiCu-SiO2 catalysts with a metal content of 90% and different Ni/Cu ratios has been investigated in the hydrodeoxygenation of anisole, a model compound of bio-oil, at 280°C and 6 MPa. A homogeneous phase composition of the active component has been synthesized by the co-decomposition of nickel and copper nitrates followed by the introduction of SiO2 as a stabilizer. The resulting catalysts have been characterized by temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive microanalysis. The bulk and surface composition of active-component particles has been determined by XPS and X-ray diffraction. In all of the catalysts containing 15–85 wt % Ni, there are two types of solid solutions. One has a constant composition, Cu0.95Ni0.05, which is independent of the Ni/Cu ratio in the catalyst; in the other, the nickel stoichiometry increases with an increasing Ni content of the active component. A correlation has been established between the Ni/Cu ratio and the rate constants of the reaction examined and between the Ni/Cu ratio and the degree of hydrodeoxygenation for all samples. The most active catalyst is Ni85Cu5-SiO2.

The hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol, a compound modeling bio-oil, has been investigated. Experiments have been carried out in an autoclave at 280, 320, and 360°C and an initial hydrogen pressure of about 17 MPa using a Ni-Cu/SiO2-ZrO2-La2O3 catalyst. A formal kinetic model of the first stage of guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation is suggested. It is assumed that the reaction is first-order with respect to both guaiacol and hydrogen. The model takes into account the deactivation of the catalyst and the decrease in the concentration of the deactivating compounds due to their hydrogenation. A possible cause of deactivation is the formation of coke and heavy intermediates, as well as the competitive adsorption of intermediate products of guaiacol conversion on the active sites of the catalyst. The parameters with which the model satisfactorily fits the observed dependence of the guaiacol concentration on the reaction time have been determined.