Selective Hydrogenolysis of Tetrahydrofurfuryl Alcohol over Ni/Y2O3 Catalyst to Produce 1,5-Pentanediol

Selective hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) to 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PeD) over high-performance and non-noble catalysts under benign conditions is highly desirable. In this work, a series of Ni/Y 2 O 3 catalysts with different Ni/Y molar ratios (1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10) were synthesized and investigated for THFA hydrogenolysis to produce 1,5-PeD. Among all of the catalysts, Ni/Y 2 O 3 -5 (with a Ni/Y molar ratio of 5) exhibited the best THFA hydrogenolysis performance, achieving 84.2% THFA conversion and over 99.5% 1,5-PeD selectivity at 423 K and 3 MPa of H 2 . Catalytic reaction tests and physicochemical characterization results indicated that the direct and close interaction between Ni and Y 2 O 3 was beneficial for THFA deprotonation and fast H dissociation, which eventually facilitated the hydrogenolysis of THFA. The presence of the rare earth oxide Y 2 O 3 in the Ni/Y 2 O 3 -5 catalyst can offer abundant moderate basic sites for THFA adsorption. In addition, the introduction of Y 2 O 3 improved Ni dispersion and suppressed the sintering of Ni species. Activity degradation of the catalyst occurred in the cycling reaction due to partial oxidation of Ni, but H 2 -reduction regeneration can recover most of its catalytic performance. Overall, this study indicates that Ni/Y 2 O 3 -5 can be used as a promising catalyst for effective upgrading of THFA and expands the application of rare earth oxides in the conversion of bioplatform compounds.