Hydrogen-free catalytic reduction of biomass-derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan using copper-iron oxides bimetallic nanocatalyst

Authors: ELSAYED, ISLAM - Damietta University; Jackson, Michael - Mike; HASSAN, EL BARBARY - Damietta University

Submitted to: ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/2020
Publication Date: 1/14/2019
Citation: Elsayed, I., Jackson, M.A., Hassan, E. 2019. Hydrogen-free catalytic reduction of biomass-derived 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan using copper-iron oxides bimetallic nanocatalyst. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 8(4):1774-1785. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b05575.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b05575

Interpretive Summary: The chemical compound hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is easily made from crop residues and has the potential to be used for the synthesis of many other chemicals important to the manufacturing sector. One such chemical is called BHMF, which is used for production of resins, fibers, foams, drugs, and polymers. However, methods for converting HMF to BHMF need to be improved in order to make this process more economical. In this study, we developed a new chemical conversion step that achieves more than 97% conversion using magnetic composites to facilitate the reaction. These composites can then be recovered from the reaction using a strong magnet and reused multiple times. This work will benefit growers and processors by providing new uses for low-value agricultural waste streams. Researchers in the field will also benefit from the insights gained from this published work.

Technical Abstract: 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) which is the major diol formed from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) hydrogenation process, has a significant importance in many applications including the production of resins, fibers, foams, drugs, polymers, ketones and ethers. Therefore, developing an economical and effective catalytic system is very necessary and desirable for the selective transformation of 5-HMF to BHMF. This paper is focusing on preparing cost-effective catalytic transfer hydrogenation system for the selective transformation of 5-HMF into BHMF via Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reaction over the copper iron magnetic catalyst supported on activated carbon using ethanol as a hydrogen donor with the absence of external molecular hydrogen. The prepared catalyst was characterized by XRD, H2-TPR, XPS, HRTEM-EDX, and N2 adsorption-desorption isothermal analyses (BET and BJH). The various reaction parameters affecting the yield of BHMF such as catalyst concentration, temperature, and time were studied. No more than 33.3% of the active copper iron metals exhibited a high catalytic activity for the selective transformation of 5-HMF to BHMF. At the optimum reaction conditions, 92.5% yield of BHMF and 97.5% conversion were obtained in ethanol over 1:1, 5-HMF/Catalyst, at 150°C for 5 h. At the end of the hydrogenation reaction, a strong magnet was used to separate the catalyst from the reaction mixture and was recycled five times without a remarkable decrease in its catalytic activity.