Efficient Synthesis of Furfuryl Alcohol and 2‐Methylfuran from Furfural over Mineral‐Derived Cu/ZnO Catalysts

Two kinds of typical mineral‐derived Cu/ZnO catalysts consisting of aurichalcite and zincian malachite were introduced for furfural hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) and 2‐methylfuran (2‐MF) in a fixed‐bed reactor. Under proper reaction conditions, high yields of FOL (above 99 %) and 2‐MF (94.5 %) could be obtained over the aurichalcite Cu/ZnO catalyst (AC‐CZ), whereas the best yield of 2‐MF was only 76.9 % (0.5 h−1) over the zincian malachite Cu/ZnO catalyst (ZM‐CZ). The normalized productivity of 2‐MF was 43.5 mol kgCu−1 h−1 and 17.4 mol kgCu−1 h−1 for AC‐CZ and ZM‐CZ, respectively (LHSV=1.5 h−1). The catalysts were characterized by XRD analysis, Raman spectra, CO IR spectroscopy, H2 temperature‐programmed reduction, N2O titration, NH3 temperature‐programmed desorption, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The far better performance of AC‐CZ in furfural hydrogenation was ascribed to its higher dispersion of copper species, superior copper surface area, better surface acidity distribution, and stronger Cu0–ZnO synergy. In addition, the surface acidity of the catalysts seemed to have a higher influence on 2‐MF production than the Cu surface area, but the optimal balance of both factors still needs to be investigated systematically. The cheaper, the better: A Cu/ZnO catalyst derived from aurichalcite having a lower copper cost shows far better performance in the furfural hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol and 2‐methylfuran than that derived from zincian malachite.