Effects Of Tio2 Support And Co Addition On Ni/Tio2 Catalysts In Selective Hydrogenation Of Furfural To Furfuryl Alcohol

Abstract

Furfuryl alcohol is an important chemical intermediate that can be converted into many value-added derivative molecules. It is typically produced by the hydrogenation of furfural using supported metal catalysts. In this work, 15%wt Ni catalysts supported on titania (TiO2) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method. The effects of phase composition and average crystallite sizes of TiO2 and Co addition in the range of 1-3 wt% on the catalytic properties of 15 wt%Ni/TiO2 were investigated in the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol at 50°C, 20 bar of H2, and 2 h reaction time. It was found that Ni supported on anatase-rutile mixed phase TiO2with appropriate crystallite size and pore structure (Ni/TiO2-A2) exhibited the highest furfuryl alcohol yield at 43.84%. The catalytic performances of the catalysts corresponded to the relatively strong Ni-TiO2 interaction and good dispersion of Ni on the support. Addition of Co into Ni/TiO2 catalysts on P25 and A2 TiO2 supports made the catalysts easier to be reduced and as a consequence, the catalyst activities decreased with little change on the FA selectivity.