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

Abstract

Abstract A series of Cu/TiO 2 ‐SiO 2 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/SiO 2 catalyst, introducing a part of TiO 2 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/TiO 2 ‐SiO 2 catalyst, compared with single‐loaded Cu/SiO 2 or Cu/TiO 2 catalysts. The Cu/TiO 2 ‐SiO 2 catalyst containing 0.40 g/g (40 wt%) TiO 2 in the carrier shows high furfural hydrogenation performance.