Comparative Study of Supported Monometallic Catalysts in the Liquid-Phase Hydrogenation of Furfural: Batch Versus Continuous Flow

This work compares the catalytic performance of well-defined monometallic catalysts supported on commercial microporous/mesoporous carbon (Cu/AC, Pd/AC, Pt/AC, and Ni/AC) for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural, both in batch and in continuous flow. Whereas Ni/AC performed better in batch (in terms of selectivity to 2-methylfuran), better results were obtained with Pt/AC in continuous flow. Reutilization of the Ni/AC catalyst recovered by simple filtration after batch experiments changed the selectivity from 2-methylfuran to furfuryl alcohol. The solvent type and the reaction conditions were essential for the catalytic performance. Metal leaching was the main cause of catalyst deactivation.