Tandem conversion xylose to 2-methylfuran with NiCu/C catalyst

Nowadays, 2-methylfuran is urgently needed especially in pharmaceutical manufacture. However, the direct synthesis of 2-methylfuran via the efficient dehydration and hydrogenation of xylose usually requires a multistep reaction. Herein, a route of tandem conversion xylose to 2-methylfuran was developed. The xylose was firstly converted into furfural by Hβ zeolite, followed by the catalysis of furfural to 2-methylfuran over 0.5NiCu/C. Compared with two-step reaction, cascade strategy applied xylose conversion improved the 2-methylfuran yield rate by 41.5%. In general, this work expanded the application of tandem method for the enhancement of xylose effective conversion and provided a new biomass utilization technology. [Display omitted] •A route of tandem conversion of dehydration-transfer hydrogenation for xylose was developed.•Effective hydrogenation of furfural via NiCu/C under isopropyl alcohol/water was achieved.•The yield of 2-methylfuran increased by 41.5% through the exploitation of tandem dehydration-transfer hydrogenation.•Different catalytic functions for Hβ zeolite and NiCu/C were proposed in tandem conversion.