Mo-V-Nb-O-based catalysts for low-temperature selective oxidation of C α -OH lignin model compounds

Mo-V-Nb tri-component oxide catalysts were prepared and firstly used for the selective oxidation of Cα-OH lignin compounds. The catalytic performance of the composite oxides was obviously enhanced due to the synergistic effects of Mo and V elements. Mo5-xVxO14 phase with a variable Mo/V ratio provided suitable active sites for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of Cα-OH lignin model compound. The optimized Mo-V-Nb molar composition was confirmed as Mo0.61V0.31Nb0.08Ox/TiO2, which exhibited the prominent catalytic activity with the turnover frequency of 1.04×10-3 mmol·g(cat)-1·s-1. Even at room temperature, the catalysts showed highly-efficient ODH reaction activities. The active phase for selective oxidation reaction and the inhibiting effect of α-MoO3 phase were also discussed in the study.