Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol in the Presence of a Recyclable Cobalt/SBA-15 Catalyst.

The hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol was performed in the presence of a Co/SBA-15 catalyst. High selectivity (96 %) at a conversion higher than 95 % is reported over this catalytic system. As the conversion of furfural to furfuryl alcohol occurs over metallic Co sites, the effect of reduction temperature, H2 pressure, and reaction temperature were studied.

Nanosized transition metals in controlled environments of phyllosilicate-mesoporous silica composites as highly thermostable and active catalysts.

Stabilization of transition metals in nano-phyllosilicate phases generated by digestion of mesoporous silica is reported as an efficient route for the formation of highly dispersed metallic nanoparticles with outstanding catalytic activity.

Composition-dependent morphostructural properties of Ni-Cu oxide nanoparticles confined within the channels of ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica.

NiO and NiO-CuO polycrystalline rodlike nanoparticles were confined and stabilized within the channels of ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica by a simple and viable approach consisting in incipient wetness impregnation of the calcined support with aqueous solutions of metal nitrates followed by a mild drying step at 25 °C and calcination. As revealed by low- and high-angle XRD, N2 adsorption/desorption, HRTEM/EDXS and H2 TPR analyses, the morphostructural properties of NiO-CuO nanoparticles can be controlled by adjusting their chemical composition, creating the prerequisites to obtain high performance bimetallic catalysts. Experimental evidence by in situ XRD monitoring during the thermoprogrammed reduction indicates that the confined NiO-CuO nanoparticles evolve into thermostable and well-dispersed Ni-Cu heterostructures.

Immobilization of Thermoanaerobium brockii alcohol dehydrogenase on SBA-15.

The activity of Thermoanaerobium brockii alcohol dehydrogenase (TBADH) adsorbed on mesoporous silica SBA-15 was compared with that of the free enzyme in water and in biphasic system (water phase up to 50% v/v water). TBADH was active at a water concentration ≥10% v/v. In the reduction reaction of sulcatone to sulcatol carried out in biphasic systems, the yield obtained with SBA-15-adsorbed TBADH was up to 5.