Eucalyptus Charcoal-Supported Single-Atom Ir Catalyst for Hydrodeoxygenation of Furfural: Role of Water-Assisted Pyrolysis

We herein present a water-assisted pyrolysis strategy to synthesize a eucalyptus carbon-supported single-atom Ir catalyst (Ir_SACs/C-500). Water suppressed Ir reduction in Ir_SACs/C-500 during pyrolysis, increased the Ir-O content, and stabilized Ir oxidation states. When applied to the hydrodeoxygenation of furfural (FF) to 2-methylfuran (2-MF), Ir_SACs/C-500 achieved a FF conversion of 99.9% and a 2-MF selectivity of 95.7% under mild conditions of 160 °C, 1 MPa H₂, and 0.5 h. The high performance is mainly attributed to the combined effect of the high-valent Ir and the C-500 support, which facilitated the activation of C═O in FF and the cleavage of C-O in intermediates.