Exploring Perhydro-Benzyltoluene Dehydrogenation Using Sulfur-Doped PtMo/Al2O3 Catalysts

This study investigates the dehydrogenation of perhydrobenzyltoluene, a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), using sulfur-doped bimetallic PtMo/Al2O3 catalysts. Based on previous research that highlighted the superior performance of PtMo catalysts over monometallic Pt catalysts, this work focuses...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Alconada Peña, Kevin, Mariño Fernández, Fátima, Agirre Arisketa, Ion, Barrio Cagigal, Victoria Laura
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad del País Vasco
Repository:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/74419
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/74419
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:H2 storage
LOHC
dehydrogenation
sulfur-doped
catalysts
Description
Summary:This study investigates the dehydrogenation of perhydrobenzyltoluene, a Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), using sulfur-doped bimetallic PtMo/Al2O3 catalysts. Based on previous research that highlighted the superior performance of PtMo catalysts over monometallic Pt catalysts, this work focuses on minimizing byproduct formation, specifically methylfluorene, through sulfur doping. Catalysts with low platinum content (<0.3 wt.%) were synthesized using the wet impregnation method by varying sulfur concentrations to study their impact on catalytic activity. Characterization techniques, including CO–DRIFT and CO–TPD, revealed the role of sulfur in selectively blocking low-coordinated Pt sites, thus improving selectivity and maintaining high dispersion. Catalytic tests revealed that samples with ≥0.1 wt.% sulfur achieved up to a threefold reduction in methylfluorene formation compared to the unpromoted PtMo/Al2O3 sample, with a molar fraction below 2% at 240 min. In parallel, these samples reached a degree of dehydrogenation (DoD) above 85% within 240 min, demonstrating that improved selectivity can be achieved without compromising catalytic performance.