Turnover Rate of Metal-Catalyzed Hydroconversion of 2,5-Dimethylfuran: Gas-Phase Versus Liquid-Phase

Hydroconversion (hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis) of biomass-derived furanic compounds giving furan ring-hydrogenation and ring-cleavage products attracts interest for sustainable production of chemicals and fuels. Here, the hydroconversion of 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), chosen as a model furanic compound, was investigated at a gas-solid interface over carbon-supported Pt, Pd, Rh and Ru metal catalysts in a fixed-bed reactor at 70–90 °C and ambient pressure. Pt/C was mainly active in ring cleavage of DMF to produce 2-hexanone as the primary product, followed by its hydrogenation to 2-hexanol and hexane. In contrast, Pd/C, Rh/C and Ru/C selectively hydrogenated the furan ring to 2,5-dimethyltetrahydrofuran (DMTHF). The turnover frequency (TOF) of metal sites in the gas-phase DMF hydroconversion was determined from zero-order kinetics in the absence of diffusion limitations. The TOF values decreased in the sequence Pt > Rh > Pd >> Ru, similar to the liquid-phase reaction. The TOF values for the gas-phase reaction were found to be one order of magnitude greater than those for the liquid-phase reaction. This indicates that the gas-phase process is potentially more efficient than the liquid-phase process. TOF values for hydroconversion of ring-saturated furan derivatives, tetrahydrofuran and DMTHF, on Pt/C, were much lower than those for DMF.