Thesis defense of Roger Desplazes

Soutenance de thèse
CERLA

The defense will take place on Thursday, the 26th of June 2025, at 10h00 in the Salle de conférence Pierre Glorieux at Cité scientifique / bat. CERLA, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq.
The defense of my PhD thesis is entitled : « Non-noble transition metal catalysts for the selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin model molecules to aromatic compounds »

The jury is composed of:

  • Pr. PERNOT Hélène   Referee   UPMC / Sorbonne Université
  • DR. LAURENTI Dorothée    Referee   (DR), IRCELYON / Université Lyon 1
  • DR. GAUDIN Pierrick    Examiner    (MCF), ICGM / Université de Montpellier
  • Pr. PAUL Sébastien   Examiner    UCCS / École Centrale de Lille
  • Pr. ROYER Sébastien    Thesis supervisor    UCEIV / Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, Dunkerque
  • DR. CANILHO Nadia    Thesis Co-supervisor    L2CM / Université de Lorraine
  • DR. DUFOUR Anthony    Invited    (DR), LRGP / ENSIC
  • Pr. RICHARD Frédéric    Invited    IC2MP / Université de Poitiers


Keywords

heterogeneous catalysis, hydrodeoxygenation, lignin, transition metals (Ni, Fe, Cu), SBA-15, m-cresol


Summary

This thesis explores the use of transition metal catalysts for the selective deoxygenation of lignin-derived compounds via catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Using m-cresol as a model, NiFe/SBA-15 and NiCu/SBA-15 bimetallic catalysts were studied under gas-phase HDO conditions. Increasing Fe content in NiFe catalysts reduced selectivity for toluene, while optimal NiCu catalysts achieved up to 94% aromatic selectivity. In a third study, single atom catalysts (Ni-SAC) showed enhanced activity and selectivity (91% DDO) compared to NiCu-SAC. These results demonstrate that catalyst composition, dispersion, and structure are crucial for improving the HDO of lignin-derived compounds into valuable aromatics, advancing the valorisation of biomass.


After the defence, a get-together party will follow at 13h00.

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