HERRERA, C., PINTO-NEIRA, J., FUENTEALBA, D., SEPULVEDA, C., ROSENKRANZ, A., GARCIA-FIERRO, J., GONZALEZ, M., ESCALONA, N.:
ChemCatChem 2021, 13, 682.
DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202001045
Abstract
Ni/CNTox catalysts with variable metal content have been prepared to investigate their emulsifying and catalytic properties for the liquid-phase conversion of furfural. The solid catalysts and emulsions were analyzed by several characterization techniques. The catalytic activity linearly increased with increasing Ni content (up to 10 wt.%) before dropping down again for a Ni content of 15 wt.%. The loss of catalytic activity was attributed to larger emulsion droplets formed by the inhibition of hydrophilic sites. All Ni/CNTox catalysts were highly selective to cyclopentanone as a main product, while several changes regarding secondary products were observed. Ni/CNTox catalysts with a Ni content up to 10 wt.% favor the formation of levulinic acid, while catalysts with a Ni content of 15 wt.% were selective to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. This was attributed to an inhibition of the acid sites thus favoring the catalyst’s hydrogenation capacity.