Highly Active Mesoporous Cu−Al₂O₃ Catalyst for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Furfural to 2‐methylfuran

Abstract

Abstract While furfural has great potential as a platform chemical through diverse conversion pathways, 2‐methylfuran is one of the key components as a fuel additive and a precursor of derived biofuels. However, catalyst design to control reactivity of active species to furfural has been challenging. Herein, we demonstrate that a mesoporous Cu−Al 2 O 3 catalyst prepared by solvent‐deficient precipitation shows the enhancement of furfural hydrodeoxygenation performance. Not only is the unique pore structure provided, but also the synergistic effects of improved Cu accessibility, co‐existence of Cu 0 /Cu + states, and strong metal‐support interaction contribute to the superior activity and stability. Additionally, essential parameters for the synthesis and the test reaction are studied to improve the selectivity to 2‐methylfuran. The employed catalyst preparation method opens a new channel for tailoring the bifunctionality of supported Cu catalysts.