Production of Furfuryl Alcohol in the Presence of Copper-Containing Catalysts in the Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural

Abstract

Cu- and Fe-containing catalysts are studied in the reaction of selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol (FA). The catalysts are prepared by alloying the respective metal nitrates and reduced before the reaction directly in the reactor at 250°C. The process is conducted in a batch reactor at 150°C and 6.0 MPa of hydrogen pressure. It is shown that the most active catalyst is Cu20Fe66Al14, the furfural conversion and selectivity toward FA in the presence of which are 96 and 97 mol %, respectively. Inside a continuous-flow reactor in the presence of this catalyst, 100% furfural conversion can be attained at a selectivity toward FA of up to 95 mol % at 160°C and 5 MPa of hydrogen pressure. The resulting catalyst remains active for 30 h of continuous operation. The high activity of the copper–iron catalyst is likely due to the presence of stabilized finely divided copper particles in it.