Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural to 2‐Methylfuran and 2‐Methyltetrahydrofuran over Bimetallic Copper–Palladium Catalysts

Abstract

The catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural to the fuel additives 2-methylfuran (2-MF) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) was investigated over various bimetallic catalysts in the presence of the hydrogen donor 2-propanol. Of all the as-prepared catalysts, bimetallic Cu-Pd catalysts showed the highest catalytic activities towards the formation of 2-MF and 2-MTHF with a total yield of up to 83.9 % yield at 220 °C in 4 h. By modifying the Pd ratios in the Cu-Pd catalyst, 2-MF or 2-MTHF could be obtained selectively as the prevailing product. The other reaction conditions also had a great influence on the product distribution. Mechanistic studies by reaction monitoring and intermediate conversion revealed that the reaction proceeded mainly through the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol, which was followed by deoxygenation to 2-MF in parallel to deoxygenation/ring hydrogenation to 2-MTHF. Finally, the catalyst showed a high reactivity and stability in five catalyst recycling runs, which represents a significant step forward toward the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural.

Study of Ni, Pt, and Ru Catalysts on Wood‐based Activated Carbon Supports and their Activity in Furfural Conversion to 2‐Methylfuran

“…: close to 100 % selectivity to FA without extra hydrogen in 2‐propanol with a Ni‐Cu catalyst. Chang et al . also studied 2‐propanol CTH properties in furfural hydrotreatment.…”

“…studied MF production with a Ni‐Cu catalyst on activated carbon and alumina, and their highest yield was 91 % on activated carbon. Chang et al . also studied furfural hydrotreatment and utilized bimetallic catalysts (Cu‐Ni, Cu‐Ru, and Cu‐Pd) on ZrO 2 without added hydrogen, and the best obtained MF yield of 62 % was achieved with the Cu‐Pd catalyst.…”

Hierarchically constructed NiO with improved performance for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived aldehydes

“…The multi-functionality of the FF molecule (i.e., C=C, C=O and C-O) can result in several hydrogenation products such as FAOL, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (TFAOL), 2-methylfuran (2-MF) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) [13][14][15]. This renders the selectivity formation of FAOL from FF a remaining challenging as low product yield is often obtained [16,17].…”

Kinetics of Furfural Hydrogenation over Bimetallic Overlayer Catalysts and the Effect of Oxygen Vacancy Concentration on Product Selectivity

“…[1][2][3] Palladium is one of the most studied metal catalysts in furfural hydrogenation due to its high reactivity. [4][5] Various valuable chemicals including furfuryl alcohol, [6] tetrahydrofuran, [7] 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, [8] cyclopentanone, [9] and pentanediols, [10] could be selectively produced with Pdbased catalysts. One type of Pd-based catalysts commonly studied is CuÀ Pd bimetallic catalysts.…”