Vapor phase hydrogenation of 2-methylfuran over noble and base metal catalysts

• Hydrogenation of 2-MF was performed over noble and base metal catalysts at various reaction conditions.
• The Pd/C catalyst was highly active for the ring saturation at low reaction temperatures.
• The base metal catalysts were active for both furan ring opening and saturation reactions.
• 2-PN was the main hydrogenation product over all the catalysts at high reaction temperatures.

Vapor phase hydrogenation of 2-methyl furan (2-MF) was carried out over barium-promoted copper chromite (Ba/Cu/Cr), Cu/Cr/Ni/Zn/Fe, Cu-Ru/C, 0.5 wt.% Pt/C (Pt/C), and 0.5 wt.% Pd/C (Pd/C) catalysts, respectively. The catalysts were characterized with respect to their specific surface areas by the N2 BET method and solid-state structures by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD data confirmed the formation of a mixed oxide in the copper-chromite catalyst and the presence of small Pt and Pd crystals (<5 nm by TEM) in the carbon-supported catalysts. The 2-MF hydrogenation was performed in vapor phase at atmospheric pressure in a continuous flow fixed bed tubular reactor at 140–350 °C employing the H2/2-MF mole ratios in the 10–25 range. The results of 2-MF hydrogenation showed that the Ba/Cu/Cr, Cu/Cr/Ni/Zn/Fe, Cu-Ru/C and Pt/C catalysts were mainly active for furan ring opening leading mostly to 2-pentanone (2-PN) as well as small amounts of other products, such as 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), 2-pentanol (2-PL), 1-pentanol (1-PL) and cracked hydrocarbons (butane and propane). On the other hand, the Pd/C catalyst was highly selective in 2-MF ring saturation leading to 2-MTHF as the main product below 220 °C, whereas it became increasingly selective to 2-PN, the ring opening product, at higher temperatures.

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