Total Hydrogenation of Furfural under Mild Conditions over a Durable Ni/TiO2-SiO2 Catalyst with Amorphous TiO2 Species

One-step total hydrogenation of furfural (FAL) toward tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in continuous flow using cheap transition metals still remains a great challenge. We herein reported the total hydrogenation of FAL over Ni (similar to 5 nm) nanoparticles loaded on TiO2-SiO2 composites with long-term stability. The TiO2-SiO2 composites comprise amorphous TiO2, which was grafted on the silica aerogel by acetyl acetone-aided controlled hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate. The catalysts were characterized by several techniques including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, H-2-temperature-programmed reduction, and H-2-temperature-programmed desorption. The hydrogenation performances were systematically explored in terms of TiO2 content, Ni loading, liquid hour space velocity, and so forth. Ni nanoparticles in contact with amorphous TiO2 showed strengthened interaction with the C=O bond of FAL as well as enhanced hydrogen dissociation and desorption ability, hence benefiting the overall hydrogenation process.