Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol Catalyzed by High-Loading Ni Catalysts Supported on SiO2–TiO2 Binary Oxides

A series of SiO 2 –TiO 2 binary oxides supported high loading Ni catalysts were prepared using the co-precipitation method and tested in guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). The catalysts were characterized using N 2 adsorption–desorption, XRD, TEM, FT-IR, XPS, H 2 -TPD, and NH 3 -TPD. The formation of Si–O–Ti bond in the SiO 2 –TiO 2 binary oxides was verified by XPS, which can increase the total amount of acidic sites and enhance the interaction between metal Ni and TiO 2 . The oxygen defect sites of TiO 2 were formed near the perimeter of the metal–support interface, leading to generation of Ni δ− –O V –Ti 3+ interface sites, which play the role of active centers to catalyze guaiacol HDO. These positive factors promoted HDO activity over Ni catalysts supported on binary oxides, compared to Ni loaded on single oxide supports. The selectivity of products indicates relatively high temperature and low H 2 pressure are beneficial for producing oxygen-free aromatics in HDO of guaiacol.