Highly dispersed Cu0-Cuδ+/MgO-FeO catalyst for the synergistic enhancement of the hydrogenation of furfural

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Cu-based catalysts are advantageous for selectively catalyzing the hydrogenation of the C O bonds in furfural (FF). Nevertheless, debates are ongoing regarding the identification of active sites. FeCu x Mg catalysts were prepared using a hydrotalcite precursor. During the early stages of the reaction, the selective hydrogenation activity of the C O bond exhibited a volcano-shaped trend with increasing Cu content. FeCu 0.15 Mg showed the highest hydrogenation activity among all catalysts examined. In-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), in-situ DRIFT, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and other analytical techniques confirmed that Cu 0 -Cu δ+ sites assume a predominant role in catalytic reactions. At the optimal Cu/Fe ratio, the oxygen vacancies generated by FeO x facilitated the activation of the FF molecules. The highly dispersed Cu 0 -Cu δ+ sites served a crucial function in the activation of H 2 and the rapid formation of reaction intermediates, significantly accelerating the reaction rate and process of FF hydrogenation. Under the synergistic effect of oxygen vacancies, highly dispersed Cu 0 -Cu δ+ active sites significantly accelerate the rate-determining step of the reaction, leading to an extremely short induction period of the reaction. Simultaneously, Cu δ+ plays a crucial role in the reaction pathway for the hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol.