Multi-site Co₂P catalyst derived from soybean biomass for dehydrogenation of formic acid

Formic acid (FA) is a sustainable liquid organic hydrogen carrier and the catalyst for hydrogen production from FA has received significant attention. However, the development of efficient non-noble metal catalysts still remains challenges. In this work, we provide a technologically rather simple and environmental-friendly strategy to synthesize Co₂P catalyst for dehydrogenation of FA by pyrolyzing soybean powder and cobalt salt. The K-containing solid bases in catalyst could act as Lewis acid sites for the HCOO⁻ intermediate adsorption while the self-doped N could act as Lewis base sites to enhance the H⁺ adsorption. The P contained in soybean could combine with Co to form Co₂P for H−C bond cleavage of HCOO⁻. At a Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O/soybean mass ratio of 1∶15, the as prepared Co₂P catalyst demonstrated a gas production rate of 237.47 mL/(g·h) and a good stability. This study provides a novel strategy to develop non-noble metal heterogeneous catalysts for FA dehydrogenation.