Selective Hydrogenolysis of Tetrahydrofurfuryl Alcohol over Ni/Y2O3 Catalyst to Produce 1,5-Pentanediol

Selective hydrogenolysis of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) to 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PeD) over high-performance and non-noble catalysts under benign conditions is highly desirable. In this work, a series of Ni/Y2O3 catalysts with different Ni/Y molar ratios (1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10) were synthesized and investigated for THFA hydrogenolysis to produce 1,5-PeD. Among all of the catalysts, Ni/Y2O3-5 (with a Ni/Y molar ratio of 5) exhibited the best THFA hydrogenolysis performance, achieving 84.2% THFA conversion and over 99.5% 1,5-PeD selectivity at 423 K and 3 MPa of H2. Catalytic reaction tests and physicochemical characterization results indicated that the direct and close interaction between Ni and Y2O3 was beneficial for THFA deprotonation and fast H dissociation, which eventually facilitated the hydrogenolysis of THFA. The presence of the rare earth oxide Y2O3 in the Ni/Y2O3-5 catalyst can offer abundant moderate basic sites for THFA adsorption. In addition, the introduction of Y2O3 improved Ni dispersion and suppressed the sintering of Ni species. Activity degradation of the catalyst occurred in the cycling reaction due to partial oxidation of Ni, but H2-reduction regeneration can recover most of its catalytic performance. Overall, this study indicates that Ni/Y2O3-5 can be used as a promising catalyst for effective upgrading of THFA and expands the application of rare earth oxides in the conversion of bioplatform compounds.