Properties and activities of ZSM-5 + Al2O3 supported RuNi catalysts in 1-methylnaphthalene hydrogenation: Effect of Ru precursors

RuNi (8 wt.% NiO; 1.1 wt.% RuO2) catalysts on ZSM-5 + Al2O3 were tested in the hydrogenation of 1-methylnaphthalene, and the effect of the Ru precursor on their physicochemical and catalytic properties was examined. The catalysts were analyzed by XRF, N2-sorption, TPR, H2-chemisorption, TPD-NH3, XRD, XPS, TOF-SIMS, SEM and TEM. The order of their activity and stability: [Ru(NH3)6]Cl3 ∼ (NH4)2[RuCl6] < Ru(C5H7O2)3 < Ru3(CO)12 correlates with the reducibility, metal dispersion, and atomic ratio of Ni/Al + Si on the catalyst surface.