Ni-Promoted Cu/ZSM-5 for selective hydrodeoxygenation of furfural to produce 2-Methylfuran

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of furfural (FUR) to produce 2 - methylfuran (2 - MeF) is a green way to produce hydrocarbons with fuel - like properties. In this work, bimetallic Ni - Cu alloys supported on ZSM - 5 zeolite catalysts were prepared by wetness impregnation and used for HDO of FUR to produce 2 - MeF. Cu/ZSM - 5 catalyst favoured the adsorption of C--O bonding in FUR through a tilted adsorption orientation, avoiding the saturation of furan ring. Moderate addition of Ni in Cu/ZSM-5 accelerated the conversion rate with enhanced adsorption of the FUR and H2, leading to high selectivity of 2 - MeF in the product through sequenced hydrogenation and deoxygenation procedures. Moreover, zeolite surface acid benefited the scission of C-O bonding in the intermediate furfuryl alcohol (FOL), further promoting the yield of 2 - MeF. The optimized 2Ni 6Cu/CZ catalyst (with 2 wt% Ni and 6 wt% Cu on ZSM - 5) gave 2 - MeF yield of 78.8 wt% at 220 & DEG;C after 30 min reaction. With further increased Ni concentrations, the hydrogenation of furan ring was accelerated with tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFOL) as the main product.