Liquid-phase furfural hydrogenation employing silica-supported PtSn and PtGe catalysts prepared using surface organometallic chemistry on metals techniques

ANDREA B. MERLO; VIRGINIA VETERE; JOSÉ M. RAMALLO-LÓPEZ; FÉLIX G. REQUEJO; MÓNICA L. CASELLA

Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis

Akadémiai Kiadó

Lugar: Budapest; Año: 2011 vol. 104 p. 467 - 482

1878-5190

Platinum-germanium and platinum-tin catalysts supported on silica, containing different amounts of Sn and Ge, were synthesized using Surface Organometallic Chemistry on Metals technics (SOMC/M). The catalysts were characterised using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS); and were tested in the the liquid-phase slective hydrogenation of furfural. The atomic ratio between the two metals resulted the key factor towards the optimisation of the activity and selectivity of the bimetallic catalysts. The bimetallic catalysts were more active than the parent Pt/SiO2 catalyst in the hydrogenation of furfural. These results can be accounted for by considering a new type of active site having an architecture which would favor the hydrogenation of the C=O group is created, allowing to increased activity towards obtention of furfuryl alcohol. All the studied systems allowed to obtain fufuryl alcohol with high selectivity.