Hydrodeoxygenation of m-Cresol over WO_x-Pt/SBA-15 Using Alkanes as Hydrogen Carriers

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of m-cresol was studied over WOx-Pt/SBA-15 by using several light alkanes as H2 carriers. While dehydrogenation of n-hexane at 773 K over a Pt/SBA-15 with 9 nm pores was unstable at pressures below 30 bar, the reaction was stable for more than 5 h at pressures greater than 40 bar. The transition from stable to unstable operation depended on the support pore size and structure, occurring at lower pressures on Pt/SBA-15 with 6 nm pores and much higher pressures on conventional Pt/SiO2. WOx-decorated Pt/SBA-15 was active for both dehydrogenation of n-hexane and HDO of m-cresol, and both reactions could be carried out in a stable manner at high pressures. HDO of m-cresol could also be carried out using H2 from n-pentane and 3-methylpentane over WOx-Pt/SBA-15 at high pressures. Possible explanations for the high-pressure stability are given.