Efficient Catalytic Hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol in Water over Rh/AlO(OH) Catalyst

Abstract

The catalytic hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol promoted by different hydrophilic catalysts based on Pt and Rh on aluminum oxy-hydroxide (AlO(OH)) was carried out in water at 30 °C under atmospheric pressure. Among these catalysts, Rh/AlO(OH) was effective in the removal of 4-chlorophenol, with phenol, cyclohexanone, and cyclohexanol identified as reaction products. The Rh/AlO(OH) catalyst showed excellent hydrodechlorination performance in water than organic solvents, 4-cholophenol was completely dechlorinated within 60 min in water in contrast to less than 26 % in organic solvents. Furthermore, the Rh/AlO(OH) catalyst can be recycled four times without any inorganic and organic additives.