The role played by the catalyst physicochemical features on guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation

Nowadays, due to the imminent depletion of the traditional energy sources, the use of biomass seems to be promising in the field of energy conversion but also in the production of fuels and chemicals. Biomass is a very complex matrix. One of its major components (25-30%) is lignin, a biopolymeric molecule whose conversion is considered of difficult achievement with respect to the carbohydrate fraction. Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions offer a suitable way to convert oxygen-rich bio-oils to hydrocarbons and other compounds of interest. In order to mimic the catalytic behaviour of lignin, guaiacol is generally adopted as a model molecule. The physicochemical features of the catalyst and the catalytic support, as well as their composition are crucial for obtaining high guaiacol conversion and suitable selectivity. However, the influence of the catalyst support acidity has often been disregarded in the literature.