In Situ Formation of CoMoS Interfaces for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of p-Cresol to Toluene

A Comprehensive Review of Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Lignin-Derived Phenolics to Aromatics

Single-ring aromatic compounds including BTX (benzene, toluene, xylene) serve as essential building blocks for high-performance fuels and specialty chemicals, with extensive applications spanning polymer synthesis, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and aviation fuel formulation. Current industrial production predominantly relies on non-renewable petrochemical feedstocks, posing the dual challenges of resource depletion and environmental sustainability. The catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin-derived phenolic substrates emerges as a technologically viable pathway for sustainable aromatic hydrocarbon synthesis, offering critical opportunities for lignin valorization and biorefinery advancement. This article reviews the relevant research on the conversion of lignin-derived phenolic compounds' HDO to benzene and aromatic hydrocarbons, systematically categorizing and summarizing the different types of catalysts and their reaction mechanisms. Furthermore, we propose a strategic framework addressing current technical bottlenecks, highlighting the necessity for the synergistic development of robust heterogeneous catalysts with tailored active sites and energy-efficient process engineering to achieve scalable biomass conversion systems.

Efficient H2O2 production from a SrTiO3-based thermoelectrocatalyst for harvesting low-grade waste heat

Building on the concept of a thermoelectrocatalyst (TECatal), we propose a simple yet efficient TECatal material, vacancy defect engineered SrTiO3, for stable H2O2 production under temperature gradients. A solid-phase reaction was applied to introduce oxygen vacancies, generating free electrons and inducing a thermoelectric response in SrTiO3. This approach achieved an impressive H2O2 production rate of approximately 764 μmol L-1 g-1 h-1 at a temperature gradient of 130 °C conceiving the feasibility of the thermoelectrocatalyst for harvesting low-grade waste heat.

Hydrodesulfurization of methanethiol over Co-promoted MoS2 model catalysts

The process of hydrodesulfurization is one of the most important heterogeneous catalytic reactions in industry as it helps with reducing global SOx emissions by selectively removing the sulfur contaminants from commercial fuel. In this work, we successfully combine high-pressure scanning tunneling microscopy and reaction modeling using density functional theory to observe the hydrodesulfurization of methanethiol (CH3SH) on the Co-substituted S edges of a Co-promoted MoS2 model catalyst in situ at near-industrial conditions and investigate the plausible reaction pathways. The active sites on the Co-substituted S edges show a time-varying atomic structure influenced by the hydrodesulfurization reaction rate. The involvement of the edge Co site allows for the C-S bond scission to occur at appreciable rates, and is the critical step in the hydrodesulfurization of CH3SH. The atomic structures of the S-edge active sites from our reaction models match excellently with those observed in situ in the experiments.

Unsupported MoS2-Based Catalysts for Bio-Oil Hydrodeoxygenation: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives

In recent years, unsupported MoS₂-based catalysts have been reported as promising candidates in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of bio-oil. However, preparing MoS₂-based catalysts with both high activity and good stability for HDO reaction is still challenging and of great importance. Hence, this mini-review is focused on the recent development of unsupported MoS₂-based HDO catalysts from the understanding of catalyst design. The three aspects including morphology and defect engineering, metal doping, and deactivation mechanism are highlighted in adjusting the HDO performance of MoS₂-based catalysts. Finally, the key challenges and future perspectives about how to design efficient catalysts are also summarized in the conclusions.

Vacancy Engineering in Transition Metal Sulfide and Oxide Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation of Lignin-Derived Oxygenates

The catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin has long been a hot research topic and vacancy engineering is a new means to develop more efficient catalysts for this process. Oxygen vacancies and sulfur vacancies are both widely used in HDO. Based on the current research status of vacancies in the field of lignin-derived oxygenates, this Minireview discusses in detail design methods for vacancy engineering, including surface activation, synergistic modification, and morphology control. Moreover, it is clarified that in the HDO reaction, vacancies can act as acidic sites, promote substrate adsorption, and regulate product distribution, whereas for the catalysts, vacancies can enhance stability and reducibility, improve metal dispersion, and improve redox capacity. Finally, the characterization of vacancies is summarized and strategies are proposed to address the current deficiencies in this field.