TiO2-supported Co catalysts for the hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran: influence of the support

Abstract

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) is considered as one of the most promising green fuel alternatives that could be obtained from renewable lignocellulosic biomass through the catalytic hydrogenation of the γ-valerolactone (GVL) platform molecule. In the current work, we report on the ability of earth-abundant non-noble metal Co catalysts supported on TiO₂ to be used efficiently for the synthesis of MTHF. The activity of TiO₂-supported Co catalysts in the hydrogenation of GVL to 2-MTHF was investigated, and several key factors with significant influence on the reaction have been identified and discussed. Among them, we pointed out the crucial role of the titania support as a versatile tool able to drive the properties of the supported metallic cobalt nanoparticles and consequently the activity of the catalysts. In addition to the necessary catalyst acidity, we showed that the catalyst performances were related to the Co particle size and to the metal–support interaction, both properties being highly dependent on the composition of the titania support. We demonstrated the beneficial co-presence of both anatase and rutile crystalline phases within the TiO₂ support, and we proposed that the nature of the crystalline phase not only influences the Co particle size and the catalyst acidity but also allows tuning the SMSI effect for achieving optimum performances in 2-MTHF synthesis.