Understanding catalytic hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) using carbon supported Ru catalysts

Herein, our study has demonstrated that microporous carbon supported Ru catalysts can selectively convert 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) in isopropanol through hydrogenolysis in a catalytic ratio of 2.47mol% under 5 bar of hydrogen at 125 degrees C for 1 h. DMF yield can reach 69.52% with complete HMF conversion. The effects of reaction temperature, hydrogen pressure, metal loading and reaction solvent for hydrogenolysis have been carefully investigated. In addition, to better understand the influence of the intrinsic nature of carbonaceous material, carbon materials possessing different surface texture including microporosity, mesoporosity and nonporous carbon black were used as catalyst supports, and structural properties have been comprehensively characterized by powder X-ray diffraction spectrometer (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen and CO2 sorption, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). We have concluded that the nature of the carbonaceous material affects the Ru nanoparticle formation upon thermal reduction. The atomic configuration of Ru nanoparticles on carbon support (i.e., metallic Ru or RuOx) would direct the catalytic pathway differently and could be attributed to the interaction between ruthenium and carbon surface.