Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol over Acid-Activated Attapulgite-Supported NiCoB Amorphous Alloy Catalyst

Acid-activated attapulgite (H+-ATP)-supported NiCoB amorphous alloy catalysts were applied to the selective hydrogenation of furfural (FUR) to furfuryl alcohol (FA). The reduction process between metallic ions impregnated in/on H+-ATP and BH4– is important to modify the textural properties of catalyst, because of the secondary activation of H+-ATP. The enhancement of interaction between H+-ATP and NiCoB particles promotes the dispersion of NiCoB amorphous alloy. Under the optimal conditions (140 °C, 3 MPa H2, 800 rpm, 3.8 wt % of NiCoB active component with respect to FUR), FUR conversion of 91.3%, and FA selectivity of 82.0% were achieved over the best catalyst (20%NiCoB/H+-ATP). Moreover, the catalyst was recycled six times and showed an increase of 3.9% in FUR conversion and 8.2% in FA selectivity, which might be due to the newly generated Co–Ni alloy active site. The low-cost nature of H+-ATP makes the supported NiCoB catalyst a potential catalyst for the industrial production of FA.