FURFURAL HYDRATING ON PROMOTED SKELETAL COPPER CATALYSTS

Abstract

Introduction. Furfural is a five-membered heterocyclic aldehyde of the furan series,
which is an important biomass-derived compound. Its hydrogenation product, furfuryl alcohol, has
numerous industrial applications. The selective hydrogenation of furfural has attracted interest for the
development of efficient catalytic processes. In this study, attention is given to alloyed copper catalysts
modified by ferroalloys for the hydrogenation process. The purpose of this work is to develop a process
for the selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The researchers developed highly active
suspended alloyed alumina-copper catalysts, incorporating ferroalloys as promoters. Specifically, skeletal
copper catalysts with 70% aluminum content were prepared, and ferroalloy additives such as FMo
(ferromolybdenum) and FMn (ferromanganese) were introduced. The catalytic activity was studied under
different technological conditions by monitoring the hydrogenation of furfural. Results and Discussion. It
was found that the promoting effect of FMo and FMn is associated with the formation of new MeAl₃
compounds, inclusions, and eutectoids in the alloys, which remain in the non-alkaline state of the leached
catalysts. Among the tested multicomponent copper catalysts, the activity order increased as follows: Cu70% Al < Cu-FMn < Cu-3% FMo < Cu-FMo + FMn. Conclusion. The study demonstrates that alloyed
copper catalysts promoted with ferroalloys, particularly a combination of FMo and FMn, exhibit enhanced
catalytic activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. These findings
contribute to the development of more efficient catalytic systems for biomass-derived chemical
transformations.