Bimetallic PtFe-Catalyzed Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol: Solvent Effect of Isopropanol and Hydrogen Activation

Highly selective liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural was efficiently catalyzed by PtFe alloy nanoparticles supported on CeO2. An initial reaction rate at ∼1500 h-1, a near 100% selectivity toward furfuryl alcohol (FA), and a satisfactory recycling stability were achieved on Pt3Fe/CeO2 catalyst. Based on the well-established knowledge of the modification effects of Fe additives on the geometric and electronic properties of Pt sites, this work further demonstrated that the bimetallic PtFe sites could promote H2-activated dissociation for accelerating the hydrogenation reaction in comparison with the monometallic Pt/CeO2 catalyst. The results of isotopic and kinetic experiments to study the solvent effects elucidated that the reaction pathway of catalytic transfer hydrogenation with isopropanol as the hydrogen donor could be ruled out. The results also suggested that isopropanol-involved hydrogen exchange processes with hydrogen and FA could easily occur during the reactions. Furthermore, the furfural hydrogenation could be significantly affected by the solvent intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions.