Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C3N4)-derived Fe-N-C Catalysts for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Dimethylfuran

As Fe is more abundant and economic than Cu and Ni, it is probably a more attractive non-noble alternative to precious metals in biomass conversions, for which usually require promising catalysts for large-scale production. In this work, economic and environmental benign heterogeneous iron catalysts prepared by simultaneous pyrolysis of graphitic carbon nitride and iron precursors on activated carbon, were demonstrated to be active for the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran. The effect of pyrolysis temperature, support, iron content, the type of g-C3N4 and iron precursor, and N/Fe ratio were explored thoroughly, and reaction parameters such reaction temperature and H-2 pressure were also investigated. The highest DMF yield of 85.7% was obtained at 240 degrees C for 3h, which is comparable to that obtained over iron catalysts prepared from precious iron complexes. The investigation of reaction pathway showed that 5-methylfurfural was the possible intermediate. The stability of as-prepared Fe-N-C catalyst could be improved after treatment with aqueous HCl solution.