Most biomass derivatives were converted in the aqueous phase due to their high oxygen content, which, however, created a harsh environment for the catalytic reaction. In this work, Ru-based catalysts for the hydrogenation/ hydrogenolysis of furan compounds in the aqueous phase were prepared. Among all the screened catalysts, the Ru−Mn/CNTs (multiwalled carbon nanotubes) catalyst was found to be the best one for the conversion. Also, various factors, including reaction temperature, H 2 pressure, solvent, and catalyst promotor, were studied to tune the catalytic performance of hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis reactions, whereas as high as 80% tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) selectivity and 20% 1,2pentanediol (1,2-PeD) selectivity were obtained over Ru−Mn/CNTs catalysts under different reaction conditions, respectively. Moreover, detailed characterizations were carried out over the relevant catalysts for correlating the catalytic and physicochemical properties.
Biomass furfural-like compounds are chemicals that cannot be extracted from fossil materials, through which a large number of fine chemicals and fuel additives can be opened up, but one big efficiency problem during the transformation is the accumulation of oligomers. Here, we propose a novel and efficient Ru-Mo bimetallic catalyst for selective hydrogenation-rearrangement of furfural-like compounds. The result showed that an unprecedented rearrangement product selectivity of 89.1% to cyclopentanol was achieved under an optimized reaction condition over a 1%Ru−2.5%Mo/CNT catalyst reduced at 600°C. Subsequent characterization suggested that the catalyst presented with weak acidity and strong hydrogenation activity for the reaction, which not only ensures the smooth hydrogenation-rearrangement reaction but also inhibits the accumulation of furan polymers. These findings provide a convenient strategy to tune the catalytic performance of Mo-based catalysts by controlling the reduction and carburization conditions, which appear to be versatile for the rearrangement of furans and similar compounds.
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