Issue 7, 2021

Highly efficient catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural over defect-rich amphoteric ZrO2 with abundant surface acid–base sites

Abstract

Currently, the catalytic transformation and utilization of biomass-derived compounds are of great importance to the alleviation of environmental problems and sustainable development. Among them, furfural alcohol derived from biomass resources has been found to be one of the most prospective biomass platforms for high-value chemicals and biofuels. Herein, high-surface-area ZrO2 with abundant oxygen defects and surface acid–base sites was synthesized and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural into furfural alcohol using alcohol as a hydrogen donor. The as-synthesized ZrO2 exhibited excellent catalytic performance with 98.2% FA conversion and 97.1% FOL selectivity, even comparable with that of a homogeneous Lewis acid catalyst. A series of characterization studies and experimental results revealed that acid sites on the surface of ZrO2 could adsorb and activate the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bond in furfural and base sites could facilitate the formation of alkoxide species. The synergistic effect of surface acid–base sites affords a harmonious environment for the reaction, which is crucial for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural with high efficiency. Furthermore, the as-prepared ZrO2 catalyst also exhibited a potential application for the efficient catalytic transfer hydrogenation of a series of biomass-derived carbonyl compounds.

Graphical abstract: Highly efficient catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural over defect-rich amphoteric ZrO2 with abundant surface acid–base sites

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Jan 2020
Accepted
19 Jan 2021
First published
21 Jan 2021

Dalton Trans., 2021,50, 2616-2626

Highly efficient catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural over defect-rich amphoteric ZrO2 with abundant surface acid–base sites

Z. Zhu, L. Yang, C. Ke, G. Fan, L. Yang and F. Li, Dalton Trans., 2021, 50, 2616 DOI: 10.1039/D0DT00055H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements