Ni- and CuNi-modified activated carbons and ordered mesoporous CMK-3 for furfural hydrotreatment

In this paper, various carbon materials such as activated carbons and mesoporous carbon material CMK-3 modified with nickel and copper, are investigated in the production of a potential biofuel 2-methylfuran with furfural hydrotreatment. Deep characterization of the prepared catalysts revealed differences in pore size, surface area, and metal particle size. Furthermore, the acidity of the catalysts varied significantly affecting the product distribution. Very high activity and selectivity towards 2-methylfuran was achieved with two steam activated carbons (Norit RB4C and Darco) and ordered mesoporous carbon material CMK-3 modified with copper and nickel. 2-Methylfuran yield as high as 60.2% was achieved with 5/5 wt% CuNi/RB4C in 2 h at 230 °C. The operation in slurry phase was observed to promote the reaction towards 2-methylfuran.