How do the biosourced catalysts compare to commercial metallic salts in the synthesis of moclobemide?

The study evaluates the catalytic activity of various commercial metallic salts (e.g., NaCl, KCl, CaCl2, MgCl2, CuCl2, ZnCl2, FeCl2, FeCl3, MnCl2, and AlCl3) and their mixtures in the synthesis of moclobemide, comparing them to the biosourced catalysts M1 and MM1.

From: "Toward a New Way for the Valorization of Miscanthus Biomass Produced on Metal-Contaminated Soils Part 2: Miscanthus-Based Biosourced Catalyst: Design, Preparation, and Catalytic Efficiency in the Synthesis of Moclobemide", Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 34;

None of the individual commercial metallic salts or their binary mixtures achieved the same high conversion rates as the biosourced catalysts M1 and MM1. The highest conversion rate achieved by a commercial salt mixture was 54% (MnCl2 and FeCl2), which is lower than the 90% and 79% conversion rates of M1 and MM1, respectively. This indicates that the catalytic activity of the biosourced catalysts is due to a multimetallic synergy rather than a single metal species.