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Hydrodeoxygenation of Furfural Over Supported Metal Catalysts: A Comparative Study of Cu, Pd and Ni

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Abstract

The hydrodeoxygenation of furfural has been investigated over three different metal catalysts, Cu, Pd and Ni supported on SiO2, on a continuous-flow reactor under atmospheric pressure of hydrogen in the 210–290 °C temperature range. The distribution of products is a strong function of the metal catalyst used. High selectivity to furfuryl alcohol is obtained over Cu/SiO2, with the formation of only small amounts of 2-methyl furan at the highest reaction temperature studied. In contrast to Cu catalyst, the conversion of furfural over Pd/SiO2 mainly produces furan by decarbonylation. Furan can further react with hydrogen to form tetrahydrofuran (THF). Finally, on Ni/SiO2 catalysts ring opening products (butanal, butanol and butane) can be obtained in significant amounts. The different product distributions are explained in terms of the strength of interaction of the furan ring with the metal surface and the type of surface intermediates that each metal is able to stabilize.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by the National Science Foundation EPSCOR (Grant 0814361), the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center, and the Department of Energy (Grant DE-FG36GO88064).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering and Center for Biomass Refining, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Surapas Sitthisa & Daniel E. Resasco

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  1. Surapas Sitthisa
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  2. Daniel E. Resasco
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Correspondence to Daniel E. Resasco.

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Sitthisa, S., Resasco, D.E. Hydrodeoxygenation of Furfural Over Supported Metal Catalysts: A Comparative Study of Cu, Pd and Ni. Catal Lett 141, 784–791 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-011-0581-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10562-011-0581-7

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