Synthesis of Furfuryl Alcohol via Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural in the Presence of Iron-Containing Catalysts

Abstract

Cu- and Fe-containing catalysts were studied in the reaction of selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol (FA). The catalysts were prepared by fusing the metal nitrates and reduced in situ at 250 °C in the reactor before the reaction. A batch reactor was used for the process at 150 °C and 6.0 MPa of hydrogen. The highest activity was shown to be characteristic of the Cu₂₀Fe₆₆Al₁₄ catalyst that provided 96 % conversion of furfural and 97 mol.% selectivity to FA. In the flow system, the furfural conversion reached 100 % and the selectivity to FA up to 95 mol.% at 160 °C and 5 MPa of hydrogen. The developed catalyst remained highly active during its continuous operation for 30 hours. The observed high activity was accounted for by the presence of stabilized disperse copper particles in the copper-iron containing catalyst.