High Selectivity and Yield in Catalytic Transfer Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol by Zirconium Propoxide
Agnieszka Ciemięga1, Katarzyna Maresz1, Katarzyna Janoszka2
1Institute of Chemical Engineering of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Bałtycka 5, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland.
Abstract:
The aim of the work was to develop a highly effective catalyst for the conversion of furfural into furfuryl alcohol through catalytic transfer hydrogenation, which is an important process for converting biomass-derived compounds into valuable chemicals. A highly mesoporous silica was modified with various zirconium and aluminium precursors to obtain Lewis acid centres. The materials were characterised by nitrogen adsorption, FTIR spectroscopy, pyridine adsorption, thermogravimetry, SEM and XRD. The catalytic properties of the materials versus acid site concentration, alcohol type, zirconium content and reaction time were investigated in a batch reactor. The zirconium propoxide-modified materials appeared to be the most active and selective catalysts in the reaction studied. They showed complete furfural conversion with ca. 99% selectivity of furfuryl alcohol, which was attributed to the predominantly Lewis acidic character of these catalysts. High productivity, 15.2 molFA/molZr·h, was obtained for the most active catalyst. Good catalytic stability was confirmed in repeated cycles. The oxide form of zirconium and aluminium species resulted in the mixed Lewis and Brönsted acidity, which encouraged further transformation of furfuryl alcohol into butyl furfuryl ether, angelica lactone and butyl levulinate. The elaborated catalyst offers a promising approach for converting renewable resources into industrially relevant chemicals.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:17Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
02:44Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide
03:08Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
02:13Reduction of Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Metals like palladium, platinum, and nickel are commonly used in their solid forms — fine powder on an inert surface. As these catalysts remain insoluble in the reaction mixture, they are referred to as heterogeneous catalysts.
The hydrogenation process takes place on the...
02:36Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Hydroboration
Hydroboration proceeds in a concerted fashion with the attack of borane on the π bond, giving a cyclic four-centered transition state. The –BH2 group is bonded to the less substituted carbon and –H to the more substituted carbon. The concerted nature requires the simultaneous addition of –H and –BH2 across the same face of the alkene giving syn stereochemistry.
02:34Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration