One-Step Continuous Conversion of Fructose to 2,5-Dihydroxymethylfuran and 2,5-Dimethylfuran

Selective conversion of fructose to fuels and fine chemicals is an important step for biomass utilization. In this paper, direct conversion of fructose to 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran and 2,5-dimethylfuran was first realized over combined HY zeolite and inexpensive hydrotalcite (HT)-Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 in a fixed-bed reactor. The cooperative effect of HY zeolite and gamma-butyrolactone solvent facilitated the dehydration of fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. By adjusting the hydrogenation temperature for HMF over HT-Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalyst, high yields of 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran (48.2%) at 140 degrees C and 2,5-dimethylfuran (40.6%) at 240 degrees C were obtained, respectively.