Copper chromite catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol

Abstract

In this research, the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol is investigated by using copper chromite catalyst containing copper oxide and chromium oxide 45 wt% and 46 wt%, respectively. The batch autoclave reactor with the propeller is used for this study. The appropriate operating conditions are found at the temperature of 125 ํC, the pressure of 120 psi, and the catalyst weight of 1.05 g per the furfural volume of 15 ml. From the experimental results, the maximum furfural conversion is observed after H2 reduction at the temperature of 300 ํC for 4 h. Increasing reduction time causes the sintering of copper metal on the surface catalysts which decreases the furfural conversion. It can be concluded that the accessible copper metal is the active sites for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol.