Objective This study aims to develop a low-cost transition metal catalyst with high catalytic activity for the deep dechlorination of condensate oil.

Method Catalytic transfer hydrogenation dechlorination of condensate oil was carried out using isopropanol as a hydrogen donor and copper-based transition metal catalysts. A series of supported copper-based catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and then characterized by X-ray diffraction, H₂-temperature-programmed desorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and low-temperature N₂ adsorption-desorption, etc. The effects of process conditions, including the type and content of the second dopant, calcination temperature, reaction temperature, and reaction pressure, were investigated. In addition, the cyclic regeneration performance of the catalyst was studied.

Result The doping of Ni in 10Cu/Al₂O₃ significantly enhanced its catalytic activity, which was attributed to the reduction of Cu crystallite size and the strong Ni-Cu interaction. The optimal loadings (based on the mass fraction of active components) of Ni and Cu in the Ni-Cu bimetallic catalyst were 15% and 10%, respectively, expressed as 15Ni-10Cu/Al₂O₃. For the real condensate with a chlorine concentration of 784.6 mg/L, a dechlorination rate of 99.3% was achieved under the following conditions: reaction temperature of 270 ℃, catalyst-to-oil mass ratio of 1∶20, isopropanol mass fraction of 2.0%, and reaction time of 3 h. The 15Ni-10Cu/Al₂O₃ catalyst exhibited good cyclic regeneration stability, showing no significant loss in activity after six regeneration cycles.

Conclusion The catalytic transfer hydrogenation dechlorination using 15Ni-10Cu/Al₂O₃ as the catalyst and isopropanol as the hydrogen source achieves high dechlorination performance under mild conditions without requiring high-pressure hydrogen, demonstrating good application prospects.