Controlling the production of acid catalyzed products of furfural hydrogenation by Pd/TiO2

Tierney, G. F. et al. (2021) Controlling the production of acid catalyzed products of furfural hydrogenation by Pd/TiO2. ChemCatChem, 13(24), pp. 5121-5133. (doi: 10.1002/cctc.202101036)

Abstract

We demonstrate a modified sol-immobilization procedure using (MeOH)x/(H2O)1-x solvent mixtures to prepare Pd/TiO2 catalysts that are able to reduce the formation of acid catalyzed products, e. g. ethers, for the hydrogenation of furfural. Transmission electron microscopy found a significant increase in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) deposition at the metal-support interface and temperature programmed reduction found a reduced uptake of hydrogen, compared to an established Pd/TiO2 preparation. We propose that the additional PVA hinders hydrogen spillover onto the TiO2 support and limits the formation of Brønsted acid sites, required to produce ethers. Elsewhere, the new preparation route was able to successfully anchor colloidal Pd to the TiO2 surface, without the need for acidification. This work demonstrates the potential for minimizing process steps as well as optimizing catalyst selectivity – both important objectives for sustainable chemistry.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gibson, Dr Emma
• Authors: Tierney, G. F., Alijani, S., Panchal, M., Decarolis, D., Briceno de Gutierrez, M., Mohammed, K. M.H., Callison, J., Gibson, E. K., Thompson, P. B.J., Collier, P., Dimitratos, N., Corbos, E. C., Pelletier, F., Villa, A., and Wells, P. P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: ChemCatChem
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1867-3880
• ISSN (Online): 1867-3899
• Published Online: 10 October 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in ChemCatChem 13(24): 5121-5133
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
169321		Catalytic HDO : Queen's University of Belfast ref R1188CCE	Samuel Jackson	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)	EP/K014706/1	Chemistry