Catalytic hydrogenation of furfural and furfuryl alcohol to fuel additives and value-added chemicals

Abstract

The selective hydrogenation of furfural and furfuryl alcohol at different temperatures has been studied using several catalysts. The effect of various reaction conditions (pressure, catalyst amount, and solvent) was studied. We have shown that Pd/TiO2 catalysts can be very effective for the synthesis of 2-methylfuran at room temperature. Using octane as a solvent, the solvent effectiveness was investigated and showed actively high selectivity towards 2-methylfuran and furfuryl alcohol, but there were many byproducts that were still noticed. Although adding Ru to the Pd/TiO2 catalyst contributed to reducing the catalytic activity, this addition improved the selectivity to 2-methylfuran and furfuryl alcohol with decreased byproduct formation. The Ru/Pd variation demonstrated a considerable influence on the selectivity. While adding a small amount of Ru (1 wt.%) shifted the selectivity towards 2-methylfuran and furfuryl alcohol, increment of the Ru ratio reduced the catalytic activity and revealed very poor selectivity towards 2-methylfuran.