An object of the present invention is to provide a method for suppressing the corrosion of a reactor and reducing waste in the production of 2-furaldehyde from a sugar raw material containing a hexose as a constituent component, and another object of the invention is to provide an industrially advantageous method for producing 2-furaldehyde, which suppresses a decrease in the activity of a catalyst in a case of using an acid catalyst and provides a higher yield. The present invention relates to a method for producing 2-furaldehyde comprising heating a sugar raw material containing a hexose as a constituent component in an aprotic polar solvent in the presence of a solid acid catalyst.

A water treatment system with a photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet, an adsorbent layer, and a fibrous filter, wherein the photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet comprises polymethylmethacrylate and silver phosphate, the adsorbent layer comprises plasma activated carbon nanotubes, and the fibrous filter is a composite of polymethylmethacrylate, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer fibers, with carbon nanotubes that are dispersed within the polymer fibers and silver nanoparticles that are deposited on the polymer fibers. Various embodiments of the water treatment system and methods of fabricating the photocatalytic nanocomposite sheet, the adsorbent layer, and the fibrous filter are also provided.

The present invention provides a method for producing a compound represented by formula (2), comprising at least a step of preparing a compound represented by formula (1) and a step of reacting the compound represented by formula (1) with a hydrogen source using a catalyst,

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wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each independently an alkyl group.

An oxygen transfer agent comprising a metal-boron oxide is provided. The average oxidation state of the metal in the metal-boron oxide is about 3+, and has 10% or less of a stoichiometric excess in moles of Mn with respect to the boron. The oxygen transfer agent may further comprise a magnesia-phosphate cement. The oxygen transfer agent is capable of oxidatively dehydrogenating a hydrocarbon feed at reaction conditions to produce a dehydrogenated hydrocarbon product and water. The oxidative dehydrogenation can take place under reaction conditions of less than 1000 ppm weight molecular oxygen, or in the presence of more than 1000 ppm weight of molecular oxygen. Also provided are methods of using the oxygen transfer agents, and an apparatus for effecting the oxidative dehydrogenation of the hydrocarbon feed.

A latent curing catalyst includes zirconium phosphate fine particles containing a curing accelerator. The zirconium phosphate fine particles containing the curing accelerator do not have a sharp crystalline peak at a diffraction angle (2θ) in a range of 10° to 40° in powder X-ray diffraction and have a broad halo pattern.

A latent curing catalyst includes zirconium phosphate fine particles containing a curing accelerator. The zirconium phosphate fine particles containing the curing accelerator do not have a sharp crystalline peak at a diffraction angle (2θ) in a range of 10° to 40° in powder X-ray diffraction and have a broad halo pattern.

Catalytic compositions for depolymerizing polyolefin-based waste material into useful petrochemical products and methods of use are described. The compositions are a composite of at least one zeolite catalyst with one or more co-catalyst(s) that is a solid inorganic material. These composite catalysts, along with heat, are used to both increase the depolymerization reaction rate of the feed streams and suppress poisoning effects of non-polyolefin polymers that may be present. This results in a shorter residence time in the depolymerization unit and more efficient process.

Disclosed is a cost-effective process for catalytic conversion of simple C.sub.6-based sugars (such as glucose and fructose) and industrial-grade sugar syrups derived from starch (such as different grades of High Fructose Corn Syrup) and cellulosic biomass to 5-HydroxyMethylFurfural (5-HMF) in a continuous-flow tubular reactor in bi-phasic media using inexpensive heterogeneous solid catalysts. Commercial and synthesized heterogeneous solid catalysts were used and their activities in terms of sugar conversion and HMF selectivity and yield were compared. Continuous dehydration of fructose, glucose and industrial-grade sugar syrups derived from corn and wood to HMF was achieved and the stability of selected catalysts and feasibility of catalyst recycling and regeneration were demonstrated. The performance of the catalysts and reactor system were examined under different operating conditions including reaction temperature, feeding flow rate, initial feedstock concentration, catalyst loading, presence of extracting organic solvent and phase transfer catalyst and aqueous to organic phase ratio. At the best operating conditions, HMF yield attained 60%, 45% and 53%, from dehydration of fructose, glucose and HFCS-90, respectively.

The invention relates to a catalyst comprising a support, at least one noble metal M, tin, phosphorus and yttrium, the content of phosphorus element being less than or equal to 1% by weight, and the content of yttrium being less than or equal to 1% by weight relative to the mass of the catalyst. The invention also relates to the process for preparing the catalyst and to the use thereof in reforming.

Methods and catalysts for producing benzyl alcohol and homologues thereof from short-chain alcohols by catalytic conversion are disclosed. The methods and catalysts develop a new route for benzyl alcohols and ethyl benzyl alcohols production through cross coupling-aromatization reaction using short-chain alcohols as reactants and provide corresponding catalysts required for the above catalytic reaction. It is emphasized on a single bed catalyst to produce benzyl alcohol and its homologues in one step, and is expected to become an important alternative route for the production of benzyl alcohol and its homologues. A route and corresponding catalysts for directly producing benzyl alcohol and ethyl benzyl alcohol through coupling-aromatization reaction starting from low carbon alcohols are provided. The selectivity of the benzyl alcohol is up to 35%, and the total selectivity of the ethyl benzyl alcohol is up to 11%.