Exploring Iron Oxide Catalysts for Acetone Hydrodeoxygenation: Making Use of an Earth-Abundant Resource

The catalytic performance of γ-Fe₂O₃ nanopowder was investigated in the acetone hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction, an essential catalytic reaction in biomass valorization. Sequential reduction/oxidation thermal pre-treatments of the γ-Fe₂O₃ nanopowder induced significant structural and electronic modifications that directly impacted its catalytic performance. The co-existence of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺/Fe0 sites led to different reaction pathways (C-C coupling, hydrogenolysis, hydrogenation, and (hydro)deoxygenation) that formed a wide range of products. The correlation of the catalytic and structural data provided a better understanding of C-O, C-C, and C-H bond activation under the HDO reactional stream in the presence of metallic and oxidized phases of iron. This study demonstrates the tunability of FeO_x catalysts in the acetone HDO reaction to favor different reaction pathways and the formation of products. It highlights that tailoring active sites is crucial for developing selective and optimized catalysts for the HDO reaction.

Keywords:
heterogeneous catalysis; iron oxide; hydrodeoxygenation reaction