Research on high-carbon ether-based oxygen additives: Catalytic transformation of 2-methylfuran and furfural to ethers via CuMgAlOx catalysts

Abstract

The surge in aviation fuel consumption has intensified environmental concerns, driving research efforts towards discovering oxygen-enriched additives that can boost their performance. This investigation employs 2-methylfuran and furfural as precursors, undergoing catalytic conversion into high-performance high-carbon ethers. The study initiates by employing Amberlyst-15 resin as a catalyst, converting 2-methylfuran and furfural into a high-carbon polymer (1A). A continuous polymerization process in a fixed-bed reactor highlights the exceptional stability of Amberlyst-15, maintaining a conversion rate of approximately 70 % over 140 h. A kinetics model elucidates the temperature-dependent dynamics of the polymerization reaction. Following this, the polymer undergoes hydrogenation (HDO) using CuMgAlOx catalyst, yielding an ether compound (2A) with a remarkable selectivity of 95.7 % and a carbon yield of 95.5 %. Characterization techniques reveal uniform elemental distribution and a high abundance of mesopores in the CuMgAlOx catalyst, substantiating its superior hydrogenation efficiency. Notably, even after six cycles, the CuMgAlOx catalyst retains an impressive 94.8 % polymer conversion rate, underscoring its exceptional stability.