Pd Doped Ni Catalyst for Selective Hydrogenation of Aliphatic Nitriles to Primary Amines: Synthesis, Characterization, and Industrial Wastewater Treatment

The hydrogenation of aliphatic nitriles is an atom-efficient and environmentally benign approach to the synthesis of primary amines. Here, a Pd/Ni/MgO-Al2O3–B catalyst with maximized Pd utilization was successfully designed and fabricated for the selective hydrogenation of aliphatic nitriles to corresponding primary amines, delivering a full conversion of lauronitrile with 99% laurylamine yield under mild conditions (60 °C, 1.5 MPa H2). The remarkable catalytic performance might be attributed to the PdNi synergy facilitating hydrogen adsorption and activation combined with the moderate-strength surface acidity of the MgO-Al2O3 composite support favoring lauronitrile adsorption and laurylamine desorption. Moreover, this catalytic system exhibits remarkable functional group tolerance, excellent recyclability, and exceptional performance for the in situ hydrogenation of aliphatic nitriles into primary amines in industrial wastewater treatment. This work not only provides an effective and practical protocol for the synthesis of primary amines from nitriles but also contributes to sustainable treatment of nitrile-containing wastewater.