Hydrogenation and Hydrolysis of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol, Cyclopentanone, and Cyclopentanol with a Heterogeneous Copper Catalyst in Water

The selectivity of hydrogenation of furfural can be tuned to furfuryl alcohol, cyclopentanone, and cyclopentanol by tuning the reaction conditions with a Cu catalyst. Catalyzed by Cu_0.4Mg_5.6Al₂, furfural can be hydrogenated and dehydrated smoothly to furfuryl alcohol, cyclopentanone, and cyclopentanol in high yields, respectively. At 110 °C and under 2.0 MPa H₂ pressure, furfuryl alcohol can be obtained in 99.5% yield. Moreover, the Cu_0.4Mg_5.6Al₂ catalyzed hydrogenation of furfural in water gave cyclopentanol in 98.6% yield. Additionally, cyclopentanone can also be obtained in 98.1% yield. The catalyst Cu_0.4Mg_5.6Al₂ can be reused several times with only slightly deactivation. Additionally, the hydrogenation of furfural gave well to excellent yield of cyclopentanol in high concentration (15-30 wt % solution of furfural in water), which improved the practicability and efficiency of the process. The hydrogenation of furfural is high efficient, practical and green process of biomass application.