Catalytic Acetalization and Hydrogenation of Furfural over the Light-Tunable Phosphated TiO2 Catalyst

Selective conversion of furfural (FUR) into value-added chemical commodities are of significance for biomass utilization and sustainable economy. The surface solid acid active sites usually play a crucial role in the valorization of the bio-renewable substrates. However, the co-presence of Bronsted and Lewis acid sites on the catalyst would result in the formation of the by-products of acetalization and hydrogenation of FUR. Herein, acetalization of FUR was realized by virtue of the Bronsted acid sites over phosphate modified amorphous TiO2 (P-TiO2), while the Lewis acid sites take over under the light irradiation, furfuryl alcohols (FFA) received as the product of transfer hydrogenation. Thus, the by-products were avoided by the novel strategy of light-tunable acidity. The feature of reversible, light-tunable acidity provides the possibility to control the reactivity and insights for the blueprint of a one-pot tandem catalytic system.