Total Hydrogenation of Furfural under Mild Conditions over a Durable Ni/TiO2–SiO2 Catalyst with Amorphous TiO2 Species

One-step total hydrogenation of furfural (FAL) toward tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in continuous flow using cheap transition metals still remains a great challenge. We herein reported the total hydrogenation of FAL over Ni (∼5 nm) nanoparticles loaded on TiO2-SiO2 composites with long-term stability. The TiO2-SiO2 composites comprise amorphous TiO x which was grafted on the silica aerogel by acetyl acetone-aided controlled hydrolysis of tetrabutyl titanate. The catalysts were characterized by several techniques including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, H2-temperature-programmed reduction, and H2-temperature-programmed desorption. The hydrogenation performances were systematically explored in terms of TiO2 content, Ni loading, liquid hour space velocity, and so forth. Ni nanoparticles in contact with amorphous TiO x showed strengthened interaction with the C=O bond of FAL as well as enhanced hydrogen dissociation and desorption ability, hence benefiting the overall hydrogenation process.