Catalytic production of 2,5-dimethylfuran from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural over Ni/Co3O4 catalyst

Ni/Co3O4, a non-precious metal catalyst was used for the first time in the catalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF). Under relatively mild conditions (130 degrees C, 1.0 MPa), as high as 76% yield of DMF was achieved. The addition of Ni not only prevented the formation of by-products, which happened due to the over-reduction of Co3O4 during hydrogenolysis, but also enhanced the reusability of Ni/Co3O4, and the catalyst could be reused for 6 times without loss of activity. Crown Copyright (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.