Elsevier

Electrochimica Acta

Volume 46, Issue 18, 31 May 2001, Pages 2757-2760
Electrochimica Acta

Biomass conversion II: simultaneous electrosyntheses of furoic acid and furfuryl alcohol on modified graphite felt electrodes

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-4686(01)00507-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Simultaneous electrocatalytic production of furoic acid and furfuryl alcohol from furfural is performed on modified graphite felt electrodes in aqueous electrolyte using a separated flow cell.

Introduction

Furfural is an electrophore and can be reduced into furfuryl alcohol, or oxidized into furoic acid (Scheme 1). Suitable catalysts for the hydrogenation of furfural are copper chromite catalysts, Raney Ni, Raney Co and Raney Cu catalysts as well as copper catalysts promoted with sodium silicates [1], [2]. Synthesis of furoic acid is accomplished using Ag2O/CuO, Pd/C or Pt–Pb catalysts [3], [4]. If the two syntheses could be paired, the economic aspect of the transformation of furfural would be improved. Furfuryl alcohol (used as a solvent, in the manufacture of wetting agents, resins, …) and furoic acid (used as a pharmaceutical intermediate, fungicide, hypolipidimic and anti-inflammatory agents, …) can be produced simultaneously via the Cannizzaro reaction but the rates are too slow and purification processes are relatively expensive [5]. We report here an attempt to perform paired electrosynthesis of furfuryl alcohol and furoic acid from furfural under controlled current in a divided flow cell.

Section snippets

Experimental

The electrochemical reactor was described previously [6], [7]. The electrodes were porous (modified graphite felt, 52 mm diameter, 9 mm thick giving a porous volume of 17.6 cm3) and separated by a cationic exchange membrane (Ionac 3470). The electrolytes in the two compartments (2 l) were percolating through the electrodes. For preliminary non-paired electrosyntheses, two counter-electrodes were placed on both sides of the working electrode (Fig. 1). The current intensity, I, was generated by

Modified graphite felt electrodes

Fig. 3 illustrates the carbon fibres before (a) and after (b) the copper plating. A continuous rough metallic coating is obtained under the pulsed current conditions. The protrusions generally obtained when the plating is performed at constant current are not observed. The plating gives a copper layer of about 4 μm thickness.

The microphotographs of Ni modified graphite felt anodes are shown in Fig. 4. The deposit structure is completely different from that shown in Fig. 3. The SEM micrographs

Acknowledgements

Financial support for this work by the ‘Région Poitou-Charentes’ is gratefully acknowledged. We also would like to thank Mr Stephane Pronier for the microphotographs.

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