One pot conversion of furfural to 2-methylfuran in the presence of PtCo bimetallic catalyst

Biomass-derived furfural (FAL) is the platform chemical for synthesis of various value-added chemicals and fuels. One of the FAL-derived chemicals, i.e., 2-methylfuran (2-MF), is the potential biofuel due to its attractive chemical and physical properties. Various methods are reported for conversion of FAL to 2-MF which are operated at high temperature and high H₂ pressure. In present work, one pot catalytic method was developed in batch mode process for conversion of FAL to 2-MF. Reactions are carried out in the presence of PtCo/C bimetallic catalyst under 0.5–1 MPa H₂ pressure. Monometallic and bimetallic catalysts with different Pt and Co loading were prepared by wet impregnation method, and catalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, BET surface area, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy techniques. 59% 2-MF yield was achieved at 180 °C and lower (0.5 MPa) H₂ pressure.