Heterogeneous selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) into 2,5-diformylfuran catalyzed by vanadium supported activated carbon in MIBK, extracting solvent for HMF

Heterogeneous selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) into 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) using molecular oxygen and vanadium catalyst onto activated carbon in MIBK, extracting solvent for HMF, is described. Highly stable V2O5 supported on activated carbon catalyst was synthesized using V3+ (VCl3) precursor and confirmed by XPS analysis, which found to be highly active. A maximum HMF conversion of >95% with >96% DFF selectivity was achieved and this heterogeneous catalyst could be used 4 times without any significant loss of activity. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.