Synthesis of Diesel or Jet Fuel Range Cycloalkanes with 2-Methylfuran and Cyclopentanone from Lignocellulose

2-Methylfuran (2-MF) and cyclopentanone (CPO) are the selective hydrogenation products of furfural, which can be produced in industrial scale with lignocellulose. In this work, renewable diesel or jet fuel range branched alkanes and cycloalkanes were first synthesized simultaneously by the solvent-free hydroxyalkylation/alkylation (HAA) of 2-MF and CPO followed by hydrodeoxygenation (HDO). Among the solid acid catalysts used in this work, Nafion-212 resin exhibited the best activity and selectivity for the HAA of 2-MF and CPO. The excellent performance of Nafion-212 resin can be attributed to the high acid strength of this catalyst. After the HDO of the HAA products of 2-MF and CPO over several nickel catalysts, a mixture of jet fuel range branched alkanes and cycloalkanes with relatively higher density was obtained at high carbon yield. Compared with Ni/SiO2, acidic support loaded nickel catalysts are more active in the HDO process, which may be attributed to the promotion effect of acid sites in dehydration and the ring opening reaction of furan compounds.