Tailor-made biofuel 2-butyltetrahydrofuran from the continuous flow hydrogenation and deoxygenation of furfuralacetone

Abstract

In this work, we present the first continuous flow process to produce the tailored biofuel 2-butyltetrahydrofuran from renewable resources. In a two-step approach lignocellulose-derived furfuralacetone is first hydrogenated and then deoxygenated over commercial catalysts to form the desired product. Both reactions were studied independently in batch conditions. The transition to a continuous flow system was done and various parameters were tested in the miniplant. Both reactions were performed in a two-reactor-concept approach to yield the desired 2-butyltetrahydrofuran in a high yield directly from furfuralacetone.