WPt/Al₂O₃Catalyst for 18H-DBT Long-Period Dehydrogenation in a Fixed Bed Reactor at a Low Temperature

Perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (18H-DBT) possesses a high hydrogen storage capacity and is regarded as a promising liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC). The key to its application lies in long-period dehydrogenation with high conversion and less carbon deposition at a lower temperature. In this work, the WPt/Al₂O₃catalyst was synthesized by a sol–gel method combined with a precursor pretreatment method for perhydro-dibenzyltoluene continuous dehydrogenation reaction in a fixed bed reactor. Compared to the unmodified Pt/Al₂O₃catalyst, the WPt/Al₂O₃catalyst could enable 18H-DBT continuous dehydrogenation at 250 °C, with the degree of dehydrogenation increasing from 80% to 90% and remaining stable even after 150 h. It is attributed to the unique structure of the Pt species on the WPt/Al₂O₃catalyst, which exists in the form of cubic Pt nanoparticles and enhances the hydrogen spillover effect from Pt to tungsten oxides on the catalyst surface, improving the activity and stability.