Catalytic Conversion of Levulinic Acid into 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran: A Review

Biomass-derived furanics play a pivotal role in chemical industries, with 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), a hydrogenated product of levulinic acid (LA), being particularly significant. 2-MTHF finds valuable applications in the fuel, polymer, and chemical sectors, serving as a key component in P-series biofuel and acknowledged as a renewable solvent for various chemical processes. Numerous research groups have explored catalytic systems to efficiently and selectively convert LA to 2-MTHF, using diverse metal-supported catalysts in different solvents under batch or continuous process conditions. This comprehensive review delves into the impact of metal-supported catalysts, encompassing co-metals and co-catalysts, on the synthesis of 2-MTHF from LA. The article also elucidates the influence of different reaction parameters, such as temperature, type and quantity of hydrogen source, and time. Furthermore, the review provides insights into reaction mechanisms for all documented catalytic systems.

TiO2 supported Co catalysts for the hydrogenation of γ-valerolactone to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran: influence of the support

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) is considered as one of the most promising green fuel alternatives that could be obtained from renewable lignocellulosic biomass through the catalytic hydrogenation of the γ-valerolactone (GVL) platform...

Cr and Co modified Cu/Al2O3 as efficient catalyst for continuous synthesis of bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether

A series of transition metal doped Cu-based Al2O3 catalysts are prepared through coprecipitation-kneading method, and applied in the continuous synthesis of bis(2-dimethylaminoethyl)ether (BDMAEE) via amination of diethylene glycol (DEG) with...

Catalytic Reductive Alcohol Etherifications with Carbonyl-Based Compounds or CO2 and Related Transformations for the Synthesis of Ether Derivatives

Ether derivatives have myriad applications in several areas of chemical industry and academia. Hence, the development of more effective and sustainable protocols for their production is highly desired. Among the different methodologies reported for ether synthesis, catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications with carbonyl-based moieties (aldehydes/ketones and carboxylic acid derivatives) have emerged in the last years as a potential tool. These processes constitute appealing routes for the selective production of both symmetrical and asymmetrical ethers (including O-heterocycles) with an increased molecular complexity. Likewise, ester-to-ether catalytic reductions and hydrogenative alcohol etherifications with CO2 to dialkoxymethanes and other acetals, albeit in less extent, have undergone important advances, too. In this Review, an update of the recent progresses in the area of catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications using carbonyl-based compounds and CO2 have been described with a special focus on organic synthetic applications and catalyst design. Complementarily, recent progress made in catalytic acetal/ketal-to-ether or ester-to-ether reductions and other related transformations have been also summarized.

Synthesis of cyclohexanol and ethanol via the hydrogenation of cyclohexyl acetate with Cu2Znx/Al2O3 catalysts

The Cu2Zn1.25/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited 93.9% conversion and 97.2% selectivity to ethanol with 97.1% selectivity to cyclohexanol for the hydrogenation of cyclohexyl acetate due to the abundant weak acid sites and the highest ratio of Cu+/(Cu0 + Cu+).