This paper deals with a study of
the mechanism of hydrodeoxygenation
(HDO) at 0.1 MPa and 300–350 °C of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran
(2-MTHF) over a Ni2P/SiO2 catalyst. The study
was conducted using in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
to monitor the adsorbed species during reaction and in situ X-ray
absorption fine structure (XAFS) to probe the oxidation state of the
Ni component. The work is relevant to the upgrading of bio-oil derived
from the pyrolysis of biomass. It was deduced that the initial interaction
of the 2-MTHF was with OH groups on the catalyst surface, followed
by adsorption on Ni sites. Ring-opening of the tetrahydrofuran led
to the formation of the main products of the reaction, n-pentane by HDO and n-butane + CO by decarbonylation.
The CO band appeared with a slight delay in the FTIR spectrum because
the reaction to form n-pentane was favored and turned
over about four times before one n-butane + CO was
formed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.