Chemoselective hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol to 1,5-pentanediol over Ir-MoOx/SiO2 catalyst

In this work, MoOx promoted Ir/SiO2 catalysts were prepared and used for the selective hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) to 1,5-pentanediol in a continuous flow reactor. The effects of different noble metals (Ir, Pt, Pd, Ru, Rh), supports and Ir contents were screened. Among the investigated catalysts, 4 wt%Ir-MoOx/SiO2 with a Mo/Ir atomic ratio of 0.13 exhibited the best catalytic performance. The synergy between Ir particles and the partially reduced isolated MoOx species attached on them is essential for the excellent catalytic performance of Ir-MoOx/SiO. The catalyst exhibited a better hydrogenolysis efficiency of THFA with the selectivity of 1,5-pentanediol of 65%-74% at a conversion of THFA of 70%-75% when the initial THFA concentration is ranging from 20 wt% and 40 wt%. And higher system pressure was also in favor of the conversion of THFA. During a stability test, the conversion of THFA and 1,5-pentanediol yield over Ir-MoOx/SiO decreased with reaction time, which can be explained by the leaching of Mo species during the reaction.