Selective hydrogenation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural to 5‐hydroxymethyltetrahydrofurfural over heterogeneous Pd catalyst under mild conditions

5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) derived from lignocellulose represents an important platform molecule that could be employed in the selective hydrogenation of the furan ring to prepare 5‑hydroxymethyltetrahydrofurfural (HMTHF). However, the reported catalytic systems for the synthesis of HMTHF using 5‐HMF still require additional hydrogen pressure. In this study, the Pd/ZrO2 catalyst with uniformly dispersed Pd nanoparticles was prepared via a simple impregnation reduction process. This catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity and selectivity for the hydrogenation of 5‐HMF to HMTHF. High HMTHF yield up to 92.3% was produced under mild reaction conditions of ambient hydrogen pressure and room temperature in methanol solvent. This result was superior to the most catalytic systems that had been reported so far. The mechanism study revealed that the active hydrogen species on the surface of the Pd nanoparticles and the reaction solvent in this study were the pivotal factors influencing the hydrogenation of furan rings in 5‐HMF.