FURFURAL HYDRATING ON PROMOTED SKELETAL COPPER CATALYSTS

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.