A sol-gel based method for preparation of Ni/La-Al2O3 as a new catalyst for dechlorination of monochlorobenzene

In this study, two new Ni/La-Al2O3 catalysts were prepared by a sol-gel method, with different aluminium precursors (aluminium triisopropoxide and aluminium nitrate). The catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET specific surface area, and particle size analysis (PSA) techniques. The BET results showed that the particles obtained from the aluminium nitrate precursor had a larger surface area (203 m2/g). The PSA data showed particle size distributions between 435 and 754 nm for the catalyst prepared from aluminium triisopropoxide. Finally, the catalysts were evaluated for the dechlorination of monochlorobenzene (MCB).