Ethanol-induced transformation of furfural into 1,4-pentanediol over a Cu/SiO₂ catalyst with enhanced metal–acid sites by copper phyllosilicate

Abstract

Hydrogenolysis of the large-scale biomass-derived furfural to pentanediols (PeDs) is of great significance for resource saving and development of polyester monomer. In this work, a Cu/SiO2 catalyst derived from copper...

Catalytic production of 1,4-pentanediol from lignocellulosic biomass

“…Very recently, Wang and co-workers reported a new pathway to produce 1,4-PDO with a high yield of 86.2% via ethanol-induced transformation of furfural (entry 6). 22 The Cu/SiO 2 catalyst derived from copper phyllosilicate enables high Cu dispersion and adequate numbers of acid sites that originated from coordinatively unsaturated Cu 2+ and surface hydroxyl groups of copper phyllosilicate. As displayed in Fig.…”

“…The two routes require heterogeneous catalysts with different types of active sites. [22][23][24] The employed catalyst systems, structure-performance relationship, reaction pathway and catalytic mechanism are reviewed here in detail, and the challenges for large-scale production of 1,4-PDO are described, including reactors, catalyst cost, solvent and active site distribution. In addition, the future prospects and mechanic investigation for rational and precise catalyst design are envisaged by using Earth-abundant metals and developing more benign yet competitive catalysts.…”