Abstract

Environmental concerns and the pressing need for sustainable technologies have increased the interest in furfural (FUR) amination as an environmentally friendly alternative to current petroleum-based amination processes. Here we systematically investigate the bifunctional effect of Pd/ZrO2-TiO2 for the one-pot reductive amination of FUR with aniline (ANI) using H2 as the reducing agent. The structural characterization of Pd/ZrO2-TiO2 indicated Ti atom substitutions by Zr, highly dispersed Zr sites, and modulated acidity. The Pd/ZrO2-TiO2 catalyst was active and stable for converting FUR into N-furfurylaniline (FFA) following a sequential reaction map, involving the formation of an intermediate imine (IME), with subsequent hydrogenation. The water formed in the first reaction step does not interfere in the reaction performance as confirmed by FTIR-ATR in situ measurements. Finally, the effectiveness of the catalyst was explained by the presence of acid sites which enhance C[dbnd]O and N = H activation, with subsequent hydrogenation promoted by Pd0 sites. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.