Abstract

Maleic anhydride (MA) is a high value building block molecule whose synthesis from furfural (FUR) is proposed as a green and sustainable alternative. In this work, vanadia supported on SiO2, gamma-Al2O3, ZrO2 and TiO2 catalysts were synthesized, characterized and investigated for the selective gas phase oxidation of FUR to MA. The catalytic properties depend on both, the nature of the support and the vanadia surface dispersion. V2O5 /SiO2 and V2O5/gamma-Al2O3 display ca. 50 % MA yield. Conversely, for the V2O5/ZrO2 and V2O5/TiO2 catalysts, complete FUR oxidation to CO2 and negligible MA production was obtained. By decreasing the oxidation potential of the reaction feed, V2O5/ZrO2 and V2O5/TiO2 catalysts achieve MA yields comparable to V2O5/SiO2 and V2O5/gamma-Al2O3 catalysts. This behavior is attributed to the higher vanadia dispersion on ZrO2 and TiO2 and the reducible nature of these supports. The results obtained in this work offer new catalytic alternatives for the sustainable production of MA.