Carbon Support with Tunable Porosity Prepared by Carbonizing Chitosan for Catalytic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxylmethylfurfural

A sustainable and efficient catalyst is needed for the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), the latter a promising biobased chemical derived from cellulose or hemicellulose. Here, we report a porous carbon support prepared from the carbonization of chitosan biomass. The useful species can be decorated on activated porous carbon support with maintaining large surface area and pore volume. The morphology, structure, composition, and catalytic properties of prepared Pt-ACS-t catalyst have been systematically investigated. The catalytic performance of Pt supported on the activated porous carbon is excellent, showing aerobic oxidation activity superior to that of inactivated carbon (CS-800), having a larger surface area, high pore volume, many beneficial species, and long-term durability for basic additives-free aerobic oxidation of HMF. The tunable porosity and removal of oxygenated species from the surface of chitosan in the carbonization process are believed to be responsible for the impressive aerobic oxidation reactivity of this heterogeneous catalyst.