Ultralow Loading Ruthenium on Alumina Monoliths for Facile, Highly Recyclable Reduction of p-Nitrophenol

The pervasive use of toxic nitroaromatics in industrial processes and their prevalence effluent has motivated the development remediation strategies, among which is catalytic reduction to less synthetically useful aniline derivatives. While this area research a rich history with innumerable examples active catalysts, majority systems rely on expensive precious metals are submicron- or even few-nanometer-sized colloidal particles. Such provide invaluable academic insight but unsuitable for practical application. Herein, we report fabrication catalysts based ultralow loading semiprecious metal ruthenium 2–4 mm diameter spherical alumina monoliths. Ruthenium achieved by atomic layer deposition (ALD) activity benchmarked using ubiquitous para-nitrophenol, NaBH4 aqueous protocol. Recyclability testing points very robust catalyst system intrinsic ease handling.