Selective Conversion of Furfural to Cyclopentanone or Cyclopentanol Using Co-Ni Catalyst in Water

Co-Ni catalysts, prepared by a typical wetness impregnation method, can selectively convert furfural (FFA) to cyclopentanone (CPO) or cyclopentanol (CPL) in water, respectively. The catalytic performance depends strongly on the support. It is also strongly influenced by the Co-Ni loadings of the catalyst. The 10%Co-10%Ni/TiO2 catalyst showed the highest selectivity toward CPO (53.3%) with almost complete FFA conversion, and the main product was CPL (45.4%) over 20%Co/TiO2 at the optimized conditions (150 °C, 4 MPa H2, 4 h). The surface morphology, surface area, composition and reducibility properties of these catalysts were fully characterized by XRD, H2-TPR, ICP-AES and SEM. The factors that influenced the activity of catalysts were also investigated in detail. Additionally, the stability of catalyst for the hydrogenative rearrangement of FFA was studied.