Liquid Phase Furfural Hydrotreatment to 2-Methylfuran on Carbon Supported Nickel Catalyst: Effect of Process Conditions

Hydrogenation of furfural is a possible route to produce potential renewable fuel component 2-methylfuran (MF) on carbon supported nickel catalyst. This study investigates the effect of process conditions on liquid phase hydrotreatment of furfural to 2-methylfuran over 10 wt-% Ni/C catalyst. The most important parameters tested were temperature, hydrogen pressure and metal loading of the catalyst. In addition, the effect of hydrogen addition method, atmosphere in heating, calcination gas, and stirring speed were tested to analyze optimal reaction procedure. As a result, the highest yield of MF achieved was 48.9 % applying 230 °C, 40 bar hydrogen pressure, and 10 wt-% Ni/C. This high yield of 2-methylfuran is higher than typically reported yields and thus the studied catalyst and reaction conditions offer excellent potential for MF production.