One-pot selective hydroconversion of levulinic acid to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran catalyzed by Ni-based catalysts derived from phyllosilicates

In this work, two types of Ni phyllosilicates (2 : 1 and 1 : 1 Ni phyllosilicates) are prepared for the one-pot selective conversion of levulinic acid (LA) to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF). The catalysts derived from Ni phyllosilicates exhibit much better catalytic performance than the Ni catalyst supported on silica (NiSi-IM), which was prepared by traditional impregnation. Especially, the catalyst derived from 1 : 1 Ni phyllosilicate (NiSi-SL) achieves a complete conversion of LA along with a 62% selectivity to 2-MTHF, at 220 degrees C and 5 MPa H-2 for 5 h. It also exhibits good recycling stability with a slight loss of activity during the ten recycles. These catalysts are characterized by multiple techniques. The excellent catalytic performance of NiSi-SL is found to have been achieved via the synergies between active metallic Ni nanoparticles and abundant Lewis acid sites.

Automated summary

In this study, two types of Ni phyllosilicates catalysts were prepared and exhibited excellent selective conversion of levulinic acid to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran. The catalyst derived from 1:1 Ni phyllosilicate showed the best catalytic performance.