Highly Active Mesoporous Cu-Al2O3 Catalyst for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Furfural to 2-methylfuran

While furfural has great potential as a platform chemical through diverse conversion pathways, 2-methylfuran is one of the key components as a fuel additive and a precursor of derived biofuels. However, catalyst design to control reactivity of active species to furfural has been challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that a mesoporous Cu-Al2O3 catalyst prepared by solvent-deficient precipitation shows the enhancement of furfural hydrodeoxygenation performance. Not only is the unique pore structure provided, but also the synergistic effects of improved Cu accessibility, co-existence of Cu-0/Cu+ states, and strong metal-support interaction contribute to the superior activity and stability. Additionally, essential parameters for the synthesis and the test reaction are studied to improve the selectivity to 2-methylfuran. The employed catalyst preparation method opens a new channel for tailoring the bifunctionality of supported Cu catalysts.