Abstract

The effect of the sulfiding mixture (H 2/H 2S and N 2/H 2S) over Re/ZrO 2 and Re/ZrO 2-sulfated catalysts in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of 2-methoxyphenol (guayacol) in the presence of CS 2 has been studied. The catalysts were prepared by wet impregnation and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and surface acidity techniques. The reaction was carried out in a batch reactor at 300 °C and 5 MPa. Reaction rates for both catalysts increased upon sulfiding in N 2/H 2S mixture. This N 2/H 2S mixture promotes the formation of ReS (2-x) species over support surfaces and leads to an increase in the rate of direct demethoxylation and an enhancement in the phenol/cathecol ratio. An increase in the concentration of CS 2 leads to an increase in the HDO and cathecol and inhibits the demethoxylation of guayacol. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.