Performance of Cu/TiO2-SiO2 catalysts in hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol

摘要

A series of Cu/TiO2-SiO2 catalysts were prepared by a sol-gel hydrothermal method and characterized by BET, SEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, and H-2-TPR. The catalysts were used for selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. Results show that based on the Cu/SiO2 catalyst, introducing a part of TiO2 into the carrier while keeping very large specific surface area would promote the reduction of CuO, inhibit the growth of Cu crystal particles, and improve the dispersity of Cu particles in the catalyst. The electronegativity of Cu is enhanced in the double-loaded Cu/TiO2-SiO2 catalyst, compared with single-loaded Cu/SiO2 or Cu/TiO2 catalysts. The Cu/TiO2-SiO2 catalyst containing 0.40g/g (40wt%) TiO2 in the carrier shows high furfural hydrogenation performance.