Molybdenum carbide as a highly selective deoxygenation catalyst for converting furfural to 2-methylfuran.
Selectively cleaving the C=O bond outside the furan ring of furfural is crucial for converting this important biomass-derived molecule to value-added fuels such as 2-methylfuran. In this work, a combination of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, surface science studies, and reactor evaluation identified molybdenum carbide (Mo2 C) as a highly selective deoxygenation catalyst for converting furfural to 2-methylfuran. These results indicate the potential application of Mo2 C as an efficient catalyst for the selective deoxygenation of biomass-derived oxygenates including furanics and aromatics.
Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation (CCEI), Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716 (USA).
Ke
K
Xiong
Wen-Sheng
WS
Lee
Aditya
A
Bhan
Jingguang G
JG
Chen
D002384:Catalysis; D005662:Furaldehyde / Q000737:chemistry*; D005663:Furans / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D011789:Quantum Theory
D005663:Furans; C574181:molybdenum carbide; C029060:2-methylfuran; D008982:Molybdenum; D005662:Furaldehyde; D010100:Oxygen
biomass; carbides; density functional theory calculations; deoxygenations; molybdenum carbide