Trimetallic Cu-Ni-Re/H? catalyst for the direct conversion of furfural to 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran

The direct conversion of furfural (FUR) to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) was investigated over a trimetallic CuNiRe/H beta catalyst. Under optimal reaction conditions at 240 degrees C under 3 MPa H2 for 1 h, almost complete conversion of FUR and high-yield of 2-MTHF (81 %) was achieved. This is the highest yield reported for the direct conversion of FUR to 2-MTHF. HR-TEM demonstrated that the growth of Cu nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of H beta was inhibited after loading Ni or Re resulted in the smaller Cu particle size and better hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation activity. H2-TPR characterization exhibited that the reducibility of bimetallic and trimetallic catalysts was higher than that of monometallic catalysts center dot NH3-TPD explained that H beta acid sites mainly contributed to FUR deoxygenation. The adsorption configurations of FUR, furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and 2methylfuran (2-MF) on the catalyst were revealed by ATR-IR. Catalyst evaluation and control experiments proved that FUR was first hydrogenated to FOL, followed by hydrodeoxygenation to 2-MF, and finally hydrogenated to 2-MTHF catalyzed by the combination of three metals.

Automated summary

The direct conversion of furfural to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran was studied using a CuNiRe/H beta catalyst. The highest yield of 2-MTHF achieved was 81%. The inhibition of Cu nanoparticles growth by loading Ni or Re resulted in better catalytic activity.