One pot menthol synthesis via hydrogenations of citral and citronellal over montmorillonite-supported Pd/Ni-heteropoly acid bifunctional catalysts

Menthol synthesis is possible through citral and citronellal hydrogenations via following multistage chemical reactions such as hydrogenation and cyclization. This research mainly focuses on a design of selective, active and cost-effective metal-acid (bifunctional) catalysts for menthol production via citral and citronellal hydrogenations. More specifically, Pd and Ni metals were impregnated over acidic support (e.g., hetero-poly acid supported montmorillonite, HPA_MM). The prepared catalysts were characterized by BET, pyridine adsorption and amine titration methods. Some of the most important parameters such as metal type and loading; applied pressure and reaction time have been investigated throughout this work. The obtained results reveals that the 8 wt% Ni-HPA-MM catalyst (Cat-5) has produced 63% menthols (initial reaction rate 0.126 mmol/min) from citral hydrogenation (80 °C, 1.0 MPa) within 24 h. Similarly, during lower applied pressure (0.5 MPa), the production of menthol was significantly improved (approximately 98% of menthol, initial reaction rate ~ 0.138 mmol/min) with the application of 8 wt% Ni-HPA-MM catalyst (Cat-5) in citronellal hydrogenation. Higher menthol selectivity was achieved from both reactions (citral and citronellal hydrogenation) which might be due to the presence of strong Lewis and medium Brønsted acid sites.