studied HDO of 2-ethylphenol on MoS-based catalysts and proposed the reaction mechanism depicted Fig. 4. The oxygen of the molecule is believed to adsorb on a vacancy site of a MoS2 slab edge, activating the compound. S–H species will also be present 2along the edge of the catalyst as these are 2in generated from the in the feed. This enables proton donation from the sulphur to the attached molecule, which forms a carbocation. This can undergo direct C–O bond cleavage, forming the deoxygenated compound, and H2 oxygen is hereafter removed in the formation of water.