Selective cleavage of C O bond in benzyl phenyl ether to aromatics over Pd–Fe bimetallic catalyst supported on ordered mesoporous carbon

Bimetallic Pd-Fe catalyst supported on ordered mesoporous carbon (Pd-Fe/OMC) was prepared by a surfactant-templating method and a subsequent incipient wetness impregnation method. The catalyst was applied to the catalytic cleavage of C-O bond in benzyl phenyl ether to aromatics. For comparison, monometallic Pd/OMC and Fe/OMC catalysts were also investigated. Benzyl phenyl ether was used as a lignin model compound for representing [alpha]-O-4 linkage in lignin. The combined effect of palladium and iron on the physicochemical properties and catalytic activities of Pd-Fe/OMC was investigated. Although Pd/OMC catalyst showed the highest conversion of benzyl phenyl ether, selectivity for aromatics was low due to saturation of aromatic ring. On the other hand, Fe/OMC catalyst showed lower conversion of benzyl phenyl ether than Pd/OMC, but Fe/OMC catalyst showed higher C-O bond cleavage selectivity than Pd/OMC catalyst without saturation of aromatics. Bimetallic Pd-Fe/OMC catalyst showed the highest yield for aromatics. The introduction of Fe into Pd/OMC catalyst resulted in the modification of electronic properties of Pd by electron transfer from Fe to Pd, which led to the enhanced yield for aromatics.