Abstract

In this study, carbon foams prepared from the by-products of the Finnish forest industry, such as tannic acid and pine bark extracts, were examined as supports for 5/5% Cu/Ni catalysts in the hydrotreatment of furfural to 2-methylfuran (MF). Experiments were conducted in a batch reactor at 503 K and 40 bar H₂. Prior to metal impregnation, the carbon foam from tannic acid was activated with steam (S1), and the carbon foam from pine bark extracts was activated with ZnCl₂ (S2) and washed with acids (HNO₃ or H₂SO₄). For comparison, a spruce-based activated carbon (AC) catalyst and two commercial AC catalysts as references were investigated. Compressive strength of the foam S2 was 30 times greater than that of S1. The highest MF selectivity of the foam-supported catalysts was 48 % (S2, washed with HNO₃) at a conversion of 91 %. According to the results, carbon foams prepared from pine bark extracts can be applied as catalyst supports.