Base metal catalyzed oxidation of 5-hydroxy-methyl-furfural to 2,5-furan-dicarboxylic acid: A review

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is the most promising bio-based monomer to partially replace the petroleum-based monomer terephthalic acid (TPA). The route of oxidation of HMF to FDCA has attracted extensive attention from researchers as one of the most potential routes. The complexes with noble metal centers show relatively high catalytic activity, but the high cost and poor stability of noble metal catalysts are undoubtedly an obstacle to the large-scale industrial application. Therefore, the development of high-efficiency and low-cost non-noble metal-based catalysts is particularly urgent. At present, a variety of Co, Mn, Cu, and Fe-based catalysts have made great progress in the selective oxidation of HMF to FDCA. Herein, this review focuses on base metal catalysts for selective oxidation of HMF to FDCA including oxidation mechanism and single, binary and ternary base metals catalyst, and the future trends for green 2,5-FDCA synthesis are prospected.