Pt supported on hierarchical porous carbon for furfural hydrogenation

Hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) was prepared using colloidal silica of different sizes as a template, and used as a support for Pt nanoparticles. The Pt dispersion varied with the pore size and structure of the HPC supports. However, the measured Pt dispersions (70%–76%) suggested that this characteristic was not affected by the pore size distribution above a certain size. The activities of the prepared Pt/HPC catalysts for furfural hydrogenation were then investigated. The HPC supports with large pores allowed for greater contact between the Pt nanoparticles and reactants due to the high mass transfer rate, resulting in the highest furfural conversion and 1-pentanol selectivity. In contrast, the HPC supports with small pores exhibited higher furfuryl alcohol selectivities. The effect of the solvent on furfural hydrogenation was also investigated, and it was found that the solubility of H2 in the solvent affected the furfural conversion and product selectivity.