Mahmoud Aghaziarati - Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Kazemeini - Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Soltanieh - Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Nahid Khandan - Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

A series of bifunctional Cu-ZnO-ZrO2/H-Y catalysts of different compositions were prepared by coprecipipitating sedimentation method and were characterized by surface area and XRD analysis. The catalytic performance in synthesis of tetrahydrofuran was evaluated and optimized in a three-phase slurry batch reactor. The experimental results showed that the appropriate ratio of Cu/ZnO for catalyst activity was 50/45, for which the conversion of maleic anhydride and selectivity of tetrahydrofuran reached 100% and 46%, respectively, under 50 bar and 493 K after 6 h on stream.

tetrahydrofuran, maleic anhydride, bifunctional catalysts, Cu-ZnO-ZrO2/H-Y