Direct and transfer hydrogenation of furfural over MOF‐derived Pd‐Cu@C catalysts

Abstract Owing to the self‐reducing ability of palladium acetate in solutions, an ethanol solution containing Pd 0 particles was prepared and coated in‐situ into copper metal–organic framework (Cu‐MOF), forming Pd@Cu‐MOF in a coated structure. The Pd@Cu‐MOF was reduced under N 2 or H 2 to form carbon‐coated Pd‐Cu@C. The pyrolysis and carbonization of Cu‐MOF and the reduction of Cu 2+ were studied. The Cu‐MOF under either N 2 or H 2 was pyrolyzed and carbonized, but the Cu 2+ reduction mechanisms were different. The high‐temperature carbothermic reduction of Cu 2+ under N 2 produced Cu 0 , but during low‐temperature reduction under H 2 , the reducing H 2 reduced Cu 2+ to Cu 0 . Furfural hydrogenation experiments showed that compared with H 2 , the Pd‐Cu@C prepared under N 2 reduction displayed higher furfural hydrogenation activity. The catalytic activity of Pd‐Cu@C prepared from in‐situ Pd 0 coating was higher than the Pd/Cu@C prepared from the impregnation method. With i ‐propanol as the solvent, the catalytic hydrogenation of furfural under H 2 consisted of direct catalytic hydrogenation with molecular hydrogen as the hydrogen source and catalytic transfer hydrogenation with i ‐propanol as the hydrogen donor. The catalytic activity of direct catalytic hydrogenation is higher than the catalytic transfer hydrogenation.