Hydrogenation of Furfural to Cyclopentanone under Mild Conditions by a Structure-Optimized Ni-NiO/TiO2 Heterojunction Catalyst

Abstract

The catalytic conversion of biomass-derived furfural (FFA) into cyclopentanone (CPO) in aqueous solution is an important pathway to obtain sustainable resources. However, the conversion and selectivity under mild conditions are still unsatisfactory. In this study, a catalyst consisting of Ni-NiO heterojunction supported on TiO₂ with optimized composition of anatase and rutile (Ni-NiO/TiO₂ -Re450) is prepared by pyrolysis at 450 °C. With Ni-NiO/TiO₂ -Re450, as catalyst, complete conversion of FFA and 87.4 % yield of CPO are achieved under mild reaction conditions (1 MPa, 140 °C, 6 h). 95.4 % FFA conversion is retained up to the fifth run, indicating the high stability of the catalyst. Multiple characterizations, control experiments, and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the good catalytic performance of Ni-NiO/TiO₂ -Re450 can be attributed to a synergistic effect of the Ni-NiO heterojunction and the TiO₂ support. This low-cost catalyst may expedite the catalytic upgrading and practical application of biomass-derived chemicals.

Keywords: biomass; heterogeneous catalysis; hydrogenation; ketones; nickel.