One-pot selective hydroconversion of levulinic acid to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran catalyzed by Ni-based catalysts derived from phyllosilicates

Abstract

In this work, two types of Ni phyllosilicates (2 : 1 and 1 : 1 Ni phyllosilicates) are prepared for the one-pot selective conversion of levulinic acid (LA) to 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF). The catalysts derived from Ni phyllosilicates exhibit much better catalytic performance than the Ni catalyst supported on silica (NiSi-IM), which was prepared by traditional impregnation. Especially, the catalyst derived from 1 : 1 Ni phyllosilicate (NiSi-SL) achieves a complete conversion of LA along with a 62% selectivity to 2-MTHF, at 220 °C and 5 MPa H₂ for 5 h. It also exhibits good recycling stability with a slight loss of activity during the ten recycles. These catalysts are characterized by multiple techniques. The excellent catalytic performance of NiSi-SL is found to have been achieved via the synergies between active metallic Ni nanoparticles and abundant Lewis acid sites.