Selective Production of Furan from Gas-Phase Furfural Decarbonylation on Ni-MgO Catalysts

A series of Ni-MgO catalysts (Ni/Mg molar ratio: 0.1–0.3), prepared by a coprecipitation-calcination-reduction methodology, was characterized and evaluated in the gas-phase hydrogenation of furfural. In all cases, after reduction at 500 °C, nickel species were present as very tiny metal Ni(0) nanoparticles and forming part as Ni(II) of a NiO-MgO solid solution, as inferred from XRD and XPS techniques. The decarbonylation process of furfural was...