Co-production of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural from holocellulose over UiO-66-derived acid-base catalysts

UiO-66-derived H2N-UiO-66-SO3H with acid-base active sites was used for the co-production of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and furfural (FUR) in the direct conversion of holocellulose composed of cellulose and hemi-cellulose. The prepared catalyst was further characterized by various techniques, confirming its formation, structure, and composition. H2N-UiO-66-SO3H displayed excellent performance for the selective conversion of holocellulose to 5-HMF and FUR, achieving yields of 39.1 % and 28.2 %, respectively. The reusability of the catalyst was also investigated by direct use after recycling without any pretreatment. The results indicated that H2N-UiO-66-SO3H had good stability, and after four cycles, the yields of 5-HMF and FUR decreased only slightly to 37.2 % and 27.1 %, respectively. The recyclable catalyst H2N-UiO-66-SO3H for the effective conversion of holocellulose to 5-HMF and FUR demonstrated application potential for the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass.

Automated summary

UiO-66-derived H2N-UiO-66-SO3H with acid-base active sites was used for the co-production of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) and furfural (FUR) in the direct conversion of holocellulose composed of cellulose and hemi-cellulose. The prepared catalyst demonstrated excellent performance, achieving high yields of 39.1% and 28.2% for 5-HMF and FUR, respectively. Furthermore, the catalyst displayed good stability and could be reused for multiple cycles with only a slight decrease in product yields.