Selective liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol over Cu-based catalysts

VILLAVERDE, MARÍA MAGDALENA; BERTERO, NICOLÁS MAXIMILIANO; GARETTO, TERESITA FRANCISCA; MARCHI, ALBERTO JULIO

CATALYSIS TODAY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2013 vol. 213 p. 87 - 92

0920-5861

In this work, the liquid-phase furfural hydrogenation over different Cu-based catalysts wasstudied. The catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation (Cu/SiO2-I), precipitationdeposition (Cu/SiO2-PD) and co-precipitation (CuMgAl, CuZnAl and Cu-Cr) methods. CuMgAl, CuZnAl and Cu/SiO2-PD showed higher Cu dispersion and H2 chemisorption capacity than Cu-Cr and Cu/SiO2-I. The selectivity to furfuryl alcohol, at 383 K and 10 bar, using 2-propanol as solvent, was 100% in all of the cases. The pattern for the hydrogenation rate per gram of Cu was: CuMgAl > Cu/SiO2-PD > CuZnAl > Cu-Cr > Cu/SiO2-I. Instead, the hydrogenation rate per Cu atom on the surface (TOF) followed the pattern: CuMgAl > Cu-Cr > Cu/SiO2-PD = CuZnAl > Cu/SiO2-I. These are promising results for the future replacement of polluting Cu-Cr industrial catalysts by a Cr-free one. The highest activity of CuMgAl was attributed to an intimate and effective interaction between Cu0 atoms and Mg2+ cations in a spinel-like matrix. Additional catalytic tests, varying reactant initial concentration and temperature, were performed with CuMgAl catalyst. A negative reaction order (= -1) respect to furfural and a high apparent activation energy (= 127 KJ mol-1) were estimated, indicating a very strong adsorption of furfural on metal copper surface.