Anchoring Highly Dispersed Pd on Surface‐Modified TiO ₂ for Hydrodeoxygenation of Lignin Derivatives

ABSTRACT Selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of renewable biomass into biofuels and valuable chemicals is of great significance for promoting efficient conversion of biomass resources. Herein, we developed a highly active catalyst (Pd/TiO 2 ‐EG) by decorating Pd on organic functional groups modified Pd/TiO 2 ‐EG nanosheets. Pd/TiO 2 ‐EG displayed excellent catalytic activity for HDO of lignin derivatives; 99% conversion of vanillin and 99% selectivity for 2‐methoxy‐4‐methylphenol (MMP) can be achieved at 0.5 MPa H 2 , 60°C for 90 min. Comprehensive structural characterizations and comparative catalytic experiments revealed that the superior activity of Pd/TiO 2 ‐EG can be ascribed to the introduction of organic functional groups, large surface area, the synergistic effect of highly dispersed Pd species and TiO 2 ‐EG supports. This investigation offers one potential route for the development of efficient catalysts for hydrodeoxygenation.