Effects of TiO2 structure and Co addition as a second metal on Ru-based catalysts supported on TiO2 for selective hydrogenation of furfural to FA

The TiO2 supported Ru-based catalysts were prepared with 1.5 wt% Ru and 0-0.8 wt% Co on various TiO2 (anatase, rutile, P-25, and sol-gel TiO2) and studied in the liquid-phase selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol (FA) under mild conditions (50 degrees C and 2 MPa H-2). The presence of high anatase crystallographic composition on TiO2 support was favorable for enhancing hydrogenation activity, while the strong interaction between Ru and TiO2 (Ru-TiOx sites) was required for promoting the selectivity to FA. The catalytic performances of bimetallic Ru-Co catalysts were improved with increasing Co loading due to the synergistic effect of Ru-Co alloying system together with the strong interaction between Ru and Co as revealed by XPS, H-2-TPR, and TEM-EDX results. The enhancement of reducibility of Co oxides in the bimetallic Ru-Co catalysts led to higher hydrogenation activity with the Ru-0.6Co/TiO2 catalyst exhibited the best performances in FA selective hydrogenation of furfural to FA under the reaction conditions used.

Automated summary

The TiO2-supported Ru-based catalysts with different crystallographic compositions exhibited varying catalytic activities and selectivities in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The bimetallic Ru-Co catalysts showed improved performance with increasing Co loading, attributed to the synergistic effect of the Ru-Co alloying system and the enhanced reducibility of Co oxides. The Ru-0.6Co/TiO2 catalyst demonstrated the best performance in the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol under the studied conditions.