Porous carbon/FeO nanocomposite as a new magnetically recoverable catalyst for the preparation of polyhydroquinolines.

A porous carbon/FeO nanocomposite (PC/FeO nanocomposite) was prepared through the pyrolysis of peanut shells as biowaste with ferrous ferric oxide to give a new magnetically recoverable catalyst. In the designed nanocomposite, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are properly distributed on the surface and cavities of porous carbon obtained from biomass. Increasing the active surface and magnetic recovery capability results in catalytic synergy, thereby promoting the reaction with an appropriate catalytic effect. The catalytic ability of the porous carbon/FeO nanocomposite as a nanomagnetically recoverable catalyst was successfully tested for the synthesis of polyhydroquinolines.