An Investigation of the Effect of the Addition of Tin to 5 %Pd/TiO₂ for the Hydrogenation of Furfuryl Alcohol

Graphical Abstract

Tin it to win it: The use of a Pd/TiO₂ catalyst for the conversion of furfuryl alcohol into 2-methylfuran at room temperature is reported; 2-methylfuran subsequently undergoes sequential ring opening to form 2-pentanol. Addition of Sn into the Pd/TiO₂ catalyst switches off the ring opening and converts 2-methylfuran to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran under green reaction conditions.

Abstract

The selective hydrogenation of furfuryl alcohol was investigated at room temperature by using supported palladium catalysts. The catalysts are very selective to the formation of 2-methylfuran. Furthermore, the addition of tin to palladium showed similar catalytic activity, but was more selective to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol. Variation of the Sn/Pd ratio has shown a considerable and interesting effect on the selectivity pattern. Addition of a small amount of Sn (1 wt %) shifted the selectivity towards tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol and methyltetrahydrofuran, which are ring-saturated molecules. Increasing the tin ratio further decreased the catalytic activity and also showed very poor selectivity to either of these products.