Silica and zirconia supported tungsten, molybdenum and gallium oxide catalysts for the synthesis of furfural

Abstract

SiO2 and ZrO2 supported W, Mo and Ga oxide catalysts were prepared by a sol–gel and wet-impregnation method. The 10 wt% WO3/SiO2 (sol–gel) catalyst showed 61 ± 2% furfural yield from hemicellulose in a one-pot fashion for at least 8 cycles. Based on XRD, TPD and Hammett acidity characterizations, the catalyst structure–activity correlation was drawn.