Abstract
Abstract The catalytic properties of ultrafine nickel powder with a specific surface area of 11.7 m2/g and an average crystallite size of 34 nm, which was obtained by combining dc electrolysis and high-voltage discharge, were determined. The resulting nickel powder was used as a nanoheterogeneous catalyst in the hydrogenation of anthracene and phenanthrene. The degrees of conversion obtained with the use of the ultrafine nickel powder were compared with the values obtained using a commercial iron–chromium catalyst STK-1 (83.0% Fe2O3, 7.5% Cr2O3, and 2.0% CuO) under the same conditions. It was found that the highest conversion of anthracene in the process of hydrogenation for 60 min at a temperature of 450°C and a hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa was 86.24% in the presence of the nickel powder obtained or 91.35% with the use of STK-1. In the hydrogenation of phenanthrene for 60 min at a temperature of 400°C and a pressure of 5 MPa, the conversion was 32.28 or 25.9% with the use of the nickel powder or STK-1, respectively.