Deactivation of Ni-MoS2 by bio-oil impurities during hydrodeoxygenation of phenol and octanol

•Impurities as Cl, S, and K found in bio-oil will deactivate or inhibit MoS2-type catalyst by competing for the active sites.•MoS2-based catalysts will produce sulfur containing hydrocarbons during HDO, but these can be removed again if a sufficiently high residence time is used enabling desulfurization of the product.•Chlorine binds more strongly to the active sites of MoS2 based catalysts compared to H2O and H2S, while K irreversibly deactivates the catalyst.