Kinetics of Hydrogenation of Furfuryl Alcohol and γ-Valerolactone over Ru/C Catalyst

Catalytic hydrogenation of oxygenates producible from biomass has potential for making useful products. In this work, furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and gamma-valerolactone (GVL) in aqueous solutions were hydrogenated to 2-methylfuran (2-MF) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) over Ru/C catalyst in a slurry reactor. Both products 2-MF and 2-MTHF are promising fuel additives. The effects of reaction variables on the hydrogenation process were investigated between 373 and 453 K at 0.69, 1.38, and 2.07 MPa hydrogen partial pressures. The molarity of reactant in the feed was varied between 5 and 102 mM, while the catalyst concentration was varied from 0.3 to 1.2 kg/m(3). From mass transfer analysis, it was established that the rates of both reactions were controlled by chemical kinetics. Langmuir-Hinshelwood-type kinetic models, whose surface reactions were slow, were proposed. The activation energy values for hydrogenation of FOL and GVL were 77 and 89 kJ/mol, respectively. This study is likely to assist the design of reactors used for hydrogenation of lignocellulosic feeds.