(560r) Mixed Al/B Catalysts: A Bifunctional Groups Modified Solid Acid Catalyst with Nano-Size Mesoporous for Efficient Conversion of Glucose to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in DMSO

With increasing energy and resource consumption correlates with increasing greenhouse gas emissions on climate change, lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable non-food resources, has been intensively used to develop bio-based platform chemicals and bio-fuels, which could partially or even fully replace the currently utilized fossil-based chemicals in well-established chemical processes. Amongst, 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) was identified as one of high-potential C6-platform chemicals and can be served as a bio-refinery building block for the production of agrochemicals, polymers, pharmacetuticals, furanic polyesters, solvent, as well as fuel components.

To date, 5-HMF could be prepared from glucose, fructose and directly biomass by various catalysts in terms of homogeneous acids, ionic liquids, metal chlorides, zeolites and acidic resins. Compared with glucose, fructose as feedstock to produce 5-HMF is more efficient, however it is not cost economical. By comparison, the cost of the more abundant resource glucose is about a quarter that of fructose, making it more attractive to prepare 5-HMF through glucose.

Herein, a mixed Al/B catalyst with bifunctional groups modified solid acid with nano-size mesoporous and used as environmentally friendly bifunctional catalysts for the conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF). The physicochemical properties of the Al/B catalysts were characterized by SEM-EDX, XRD, XPS, NH3-TPD, FTIR, TG-DTA and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Optimization of reaction parameters including solvent, substrate type, initial glucose concentration, temperature, time, catalyst dosage, Al/B ratio was systematically investigated. The results showed that Al/B catalyst has the ability to synergistically catalyze the isomerization of glucose and the dehydration of fructose in a "one-pot" reaction, which could afford an impressive 5-HMF yield of 58% in the DMSO system. More importantly, the Al/B catalyst still retained the satisfied catalytic activity and stability after seven recycling cycles.