Vapour-Phase Selective Hydrogenation of γ-Valerolactone to 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran Biofuel over Silica-Supported Copper Catalysts

Abstract

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) is a desirable biomass-based platform chemical with excellent potential as an ideal biofuel, green solvent, and raw material for synthesizing downstream chemicals. In this work, a series of copper nanoparticles encapsulated on SiO2 were prepared by the wet impregnation method and evaluated as efficient non-noble metal catalysts for the vapour-phase hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone (GVL) to MTHF in a fixed-bed reactor under mild reaction conditions. The obtained catalyst properties were determined by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, UV-DRS, TPR, NH3-TPD, N2O decomposition and pore size distribution measurements. Meanwhile, the parameters/variables tuning their catalytic performance (activity, conversion, selectivity and stability) were examined. Various Cu loadings featured on the SiO2 support are essential for tuning the catalytic activity. Among the catalysts tested, a 5 wt% Cu/SiO2 catalyst showed a 97.2% MTHF selectivity with 71.9% GVL conversion, and showed a stability for 33 h time-on-stream, achieved at 260 °C and atmospheric pressure conditions. It was found that a huge dispersion of Cu metal in support, hydrogen activation ability, abundant acidic sites and surface area are all beneficial for improved MTHF selectivity.

Some Insights into the Use of Heterogeneous Copper Catalysts in the Hydroprocessing of Levulinic Acid

“…The literature suggests that the reaction preferentially occurs via the ring opening [84,156,157]. It is worth noting that noble metal-based catalysts also favor the C-O cleavage at the methyl-group side with the formation of valeric acid that can be converted into 1-pentanol, as highlighted by Sun et al [65,143].…”

Recent Advances in Copper-Based Materials for Sustainable Environmental Applications

“…There are two widely used approaches for synthesizing these nanomaterials: atomiclevel precursors utilized to synthesize nano-sized materials, and bulk solids broken into smaller components. The second approach is widely used for its advantage in controlling the shape of the nanoparticles [12][13][14][15]. The synthesis of copper and the copper oxide nanoparticles are designed based on the final derivative, which centers or depends on four chemical reactions, namely oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, and condensation.…”

Design and Synthesis of N-Doped Carbons as Efficient Metal-Free Catalysts in the Hydrogenation of 1-Chloro-4-Nitrobenzene

“…Taking into account the high price but low availability and selectivity of noble metals [ 14 , 15 ], alternatives based on non-noble metals (catalysts based on cobalt [ 12 ], nickel [ 26 ] iron [ 27 ] or copper [ 28 ]) were investigated. However, metal sintering and catalyst deactivation due to leaching of the metallic active phase to the reaction medium are still unsolved issues.…”