Fabrication of Pd/Mg P O via a Struvite-Template Way from Wastewater and Application as Chemoselective Catalyst in Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes.

A highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst Pd/Mg P O was fabricated by combining palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) and mesoporous Mg P O fibers/rods. Mg P O fibers with ultra-high specific surface area were prepared from struvite as templates, which were synthesized from waste water containing N- and P-containing pollutants. This strategy provided a novel pathway for developing advanced catalysts from eutrophication-polluted water. The composite Pd/Mg P O showed brilliant performance in selective hydrogenation of nitro aromatics to give anilines. As an example of nitrobenzene hydrogenation, the conversion to aniline and selectivity were found to reach almost 100 % at a temperature of T=90 °C and under a pressure of P =2.0 MPa. The superior performance was found to originate from PdNPs, which were boosted by electron transfer afforded by the nanofiber Mg P O supports. The favorable adsorption of withdrawing groups (-NO ) was realized by synergistic effects between Pd and oxygen vacancies provided by pyrolysis of struvite. The catalyst remained stable after cycles of reuse with little degradation in catalytic performance.