Development of bimetallic Ru/Ni/SBA-16 catalysts for catalytic hydrogenation of bio-based furfural to 2-methylfuran and furfuryl alcohol

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In this work, an efficient bimetallic catalyst was developed to serve as a key factor for the successful hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural (FF) to the high-value-added chemicals, namely 2-methylfuran (2- MF) and furfuryl alcohol (FA). The bare SBA-16 (SB-16) and Rux/Niy/SBA-16 (RuxNiySB-16) catalysts with different weight percentages (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 0.9 wt% and y = 0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1 wt%) were prepared through an in situ hydrothermal method. Characterization using XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDS, XPS, Pyridine FT-IR, and HR-TEM analysis confirmed the chemical and physical properties of the catalyst. To investigate the catalytic hydrogenation of FF to 2-MF using 2-propanol (2-PrOH) over RuxNiySB-16 catalysts, various reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, time, catalyst loading, and alcohol ratio have been carried out. Among the catalysts tested, the Ru0.8Ni0.2SB-16 catalyst demonstrated outstanding performance under mild reaction conditions, achieving 100% conversion of furfural and an impressive selectivity of 88% towards 2-MF. The high selectivity of 2-MF can be attributed to the combined influence of metal and acid sites on the catalyst surface. Notably, the most active Ru0.8Ni0.2SB-16 catalyst stability was confirmed through five recycling tests, as there was no significant leaching of Ru and Ni. The Ru0.8Ni0.2SB-16 catalyst showed the highest stability based on the recycling test results. The excellent properties of these RuxNiySB-16 catalysts are suitable for various industrial applications, including furfural hydrogenation and other hydroconversion processes.