Ni dispersed on sulfated zirconia pillared montmorillonite as bifunctional catalyst in eco-friendly citronellal conversion

Abstract

Preparation of nickel dispersed on sulfated zirconia pillared montmorillonite(Ni/S-Zr/MMT) and its application as catalyst in citronellal conversion was investigated. Preparation of material was conducted by three main steps; zirconia pillarization, sulfation and nickel dispersion. The synthesized material was characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, x-ray diffraction and gas sorption analyzer and catalytic activity was tested for microwave assisted citronellal conversion via catalytic hydrogen transfer mechanism. The results showed that the obtained material gave high total conversion and demonstrated cyclization, isomerization and hydrogenation mechanism in one pot reaction. The presence of sulfate and nickel in the catalyst play important role within the mechanism.