An active and stable Ni/MMT-AE catalyst for dioctyl phthalate hydrogenation

Several Ni/Montmorillonite (MMT) catalysts were prepared and evaluated in the hydrogenation of dioctyl phthalate to di(2-ethylhexyl) hexahydro-phthalate, an environmentally friendly plasticizer. Notably, a Ni/MMT-AE catalyst, which was prepared by the ammonia evaporation method, showed excellent activity and stability. It could be steadily used ten times under harsh reaction conditions, comparable to most of the noble metal catalysts. TEM results revealed that the active nickel species were highly dispersed on the surface of the MMT support with average particle sizes of 4.1 nm in the Ni/MMT-AE catalyst, resulting in its high activity. XPS and TPR results demonstrated the strong interaction between nickel and the MMT support, which could effectively inhibit the agglomeration and loss of the active nickel species during the reaction, accounting for its outstanding stability.