One-Pot Hydrodeoxygenation Of Bioderived Furans Into Octane At Low Temperatures Via An Octanediol Route

Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation of bioderived furans is critically attractive to prepare sustainable fuels. Herein, a novel octanediol-route was developed to produce octane through one-pot conversion of bioderived furans at low temperatures. A 96.6% yield of octane was obtained by catalytic conversion with Pd/C and phosphotungstic acid (HPW). Experimental validation of the novel pathway revealed that octanediol intermediates could be formed through hydrogenolysis of furans before deoxygenation. The spontaneous process of this octanediol-route was thermodynamically confirmed by DFT simulations. In addition, characterization studies suggested that water in the system strengthened the cooperation between metals and acids to facilitate C-O bond scission through the modification and hydrogen transfer of HPW. This work highlights a promising reaction pathway for an efficient HDO catalytic system to obtain alkanes from bioderived furans under mild conditions.