Metal-acid dual sites in Pd/SiO2-Al2O3 synergistically catalyze selective hydrogenation-etherification of furfural to bioether

Production of ethers from biomass-derived platform compounds is a substantial scientific challenge and industrial pursuit. In this study, an effective bifunctional Pd/SiO2-Al2O3-30 catalyst was synthesized for the selective hydrogenation-etherification of furfural (FAL) to furfuryl ether and exhibited an 86.2% 2-(isopropoxymethyl)furan yield with the synergistic catalysis of Pd particles and Bronsted-Lewis acid sites. The incorporation of Si with Al2O3 in the catalysts weakened the metal-support interaction and resulted in larger Pd particles, which inhibited the hydrogenation of the furan ring. Meanwhile, the for-mation of Bronsted acid centers catalyzed the etherification step and promoted the selectivity to corre-sponding ethers. Furthermore, extensive reaction results and characterizations uncovered the metal-acid synergistic catalysis mechanism for the selective hydrogenation-etherification of FAL. This work provides an innovative strategy for preparing effective metal-acid bifunctional catalysts for the hydrogenation-etherification of bio-aldehydes to ethers. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, a bifunctional Pd/SiO2-Al2O3-30 catalyst was synthesized for the selective hydrogenation-etherification of furfur-al to furfuryl ether. The incorporation of Si with Al2O3 in the catalysts weakened the metal-support interaction and inhibited the hydrogenation of the furan ring. Meanwhile, the formation of Bronsted acid centers catalyzed the etherification step and promoted the selectivity to corresponding ethers. This work provided an innovative strategy for preparing effective metal-acid bifunctional catalysts for the hydrogenation-etherification of bio-aldehydes to ethers.