Critical review of furfural and furfuryl alcohol production: Past, present, and future on heterogeneous catalysis

Author(s)

Jorqueira, Diogo Silva Sanches ; de Lima, Leticia Franzo ; Moya, Silvia Fernanda ; Vilcocq, Lea ; Richard, Dominique ; Fraga, Marco A. ; Suppino, Raphael Soeiro

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: APPLIED CATALYSIS A-GENERAL; v. 665, p. 17-pg., 2023-09-05.

Abstract

The valorization of biomass has the potential to produce molecules from renewable sources. Among them, furfural (FUR) is one of the best platform molecules due to its reactivity. It is produced from the acid dehydration of xylose (XYL), in homogenous or heterogeneous media. FUR hydrogenation produces furfuryl alcohol (FA), an important building block molecule. Based on the most-cited and most-recent papers on those research fields, the present work proposes a critical review of FUR and FA synthesis on heterogeneous systems. FUR and FA production was revised by the nature of reaction media and main active phases. Furthermore, the direct upgrade of XYL to FA might bring new ideas to gather dehydration and hydrogenation routes. In addition, a summary of future perspectives was provided. Then, this paper offers general and specific approaches for a better understanding of XYL, FUR, and FA main reactions and challenges. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/20532-0 - Use of niobium-based catalysts for dehydration of xylose to furfural in liquid phase: effects of reaction conditions on catalyst performance
• Grantee: Julia Letícia Montanari Lima
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation