<br/>Furfural, an intermediate for biomass conversion, and furfuryl alcohol, a hydrogenation product of furfural, were reacted in the liquid phase with a supported Pd catalysts. The effects of several metal chloride additives to act as Lewis acids were observed. The catalyst used for reactions at atmospheric pressure and high temperature and pressure reactions was carbon-supported palladium; however, commercial alumina-supported palladium was also studied under atmospheric pressure in isopropyl alcohol with a hydrogen balloon present. Products were principally identified through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with some use of gas chromatography-infrared spectroscopy (GC/IR). Depending on the metal chlorides used in the reaction, the observed reaction pathways were hydrogenation, etherification, and oligomerization. Under atmospheric pressure, iron (III) chloride yielded virtually 100% conversion of furfural to products with little to no detected oligomerization products, while tin and copper were selective toward oligomerization. This selectivity may aid in identifying the pathway of humins formation during biomass conversion processes. High pressure and high temperature conditions show promise for catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH).  Other alcohol solvents and a nitrogen atmosphere were examined under atmospheric pressure to examine the role the solvent has in the reaction process, and specifically the etherification pathway. Proposed reaction schemes will be presented and compared to current literature in the field of biomass conversion.<br/>

Liquid phase hydrogenation of furfural and furfuryl alcohol assisted by metal chlorides

254th National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.