Lignin meets MOFs: Design of spherical carbon-based NiCo catalysts for catalytic hydrogen transfer of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 5-methylfurfuryl alcohol

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a very important chemical intermediate, while it can be hydrogenated into various value-added chemicals. However, the hydrogenation of HMF over non-precious metal catalysts still remains as a challenging problem. In this study, lignosulfonate (LS) was used as carbon resource, and successfully introduced into MOFs structure. Then, a series of lignin-MOF derived catalysts (NinCo-MOF-LS) were prepared by the hydrothermal method with different ratios of Ni and Co metals. The selective conversion of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5-methylfurfuryl alcohol (MFA) was achieved over NinCo-MOF-LS catalyst in a N2 atmosphere with isopropanol as solvent. The Ni/Co metal ratios and calcination temperature played a key role in the catalytic performance of the catalyst. The catalysts showed good catalytic performance in the selective hydrogenation of HMF to MFA through an in-depth study of various reaction parameters such as temperature, pressure, reaction time and catalyst dosage. The coordination of lignosulfonate and MOFs provide a novel alternative for the utilization of lignin resource and the upgrading of biomass-derived chemicals.

Automated summary

In this study, lignosulfonate (LS) was successfully introduced into MOFs structure as a carbon resource. A series of lignin-MOF derived catalysts (NinCo-MOF-LS) were prepared with different ratios of Ni and Co metals. The catalysts showed good catalytic performance in the selective hydrogenation of HMF to MFA. The coordination of lignosulfonate and MOFs provide a novel alternative for the utilization of lignin resource and the upgrading of biomass-derived chemicals.