Reactions of hydroxymatairesinol over supported palladium catalysts

In this work, hydroxymatairesinol (extracted from Norway spruce knots) was hydrogenolyzed to matairesinol over palladium impregnated H-Beta-300, H-Beta-150, H-Beta-25, H-Beta-11, H-Y, H-Mordenite, H-MCM-41, H-ZSM-5, SiO2, and Al2O3. H-Beta-25 without palladium was also investigated. The hydrogenolysis was performed in 2-propanol at 70 °C under hydrogen and nitrogen atmospheres in a stirred glass reactor. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, direct current plasma atomic emission spectrometry, X-ray powder diffraction, CO pulse chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (pyridine adsorption). Palladium on H-Beta with different acidities was tested; the results showed that the reaction rate was inversely proportional to the acidity. However, Brønsted acid sites are needed for the reaction, because palladium on SiO2 and Al2O3 is not active. In addition to the acidity, a metal is needed; the H-Beta-25 support without palladium displays no activity.