Sulfonate group modified Ni catalyst for highly efficient liquid-phase selective hydrogenation of bio-derived furfural

Publication date: November 2018Source: Chinese Chemical Letters, Volume 29, Issue 11Author(s): Wanbing Gong, Chun Chen, Haojie Wang, Ruoyu Fan, Haimin Zhang, Guozhong Wang, Huijun ZhaoAbstractThe liquid-phase furfural (FAL) hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFOL) was investigated using sulfonate group (SO3H) grafted activated carbon (AC) supported Ni catalyst, which was prepared and activated simultaneously by liquid phase reduction method. This functionalized nickel catalyst demonstrated an enhanced catalytic performance for selective hydrogenation of FAL, in which almost 100% FOL (<80 °C) and THFOL (>100 °C) selectivity with complete conversion was obtained, respectively. More importantly, the conversion of transfer hydrogenation of FAL to FOL also can reach almost 100% under optimal conditions (140 °C, 4.0 h). The effect of SO3H was evaluated and systematically analyzed by the combination of reaction performance and physico-chemical characterizations. Cycling test proved the prepared catalyst could be recycled and reused for several times without noticeably reducing catalytic activity of hydrogenation.Graphical abstractA simple and highly efficient Ni catalyst was synthesized and showed excellent catalytic performance for selectively liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol or tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol.
Source: Chinese Chemical Letters - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research