Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethyfurfural reactions promoted by CuZn catalysts

Electrochemical hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a particularly important and environmentally friendly route to achieve sustainable high-value chemicals and biomass-based fuels. Herein, electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) reaction of HMF using CuZn catalysts prepared by electrochemical deposition method was declared. The electrochemical hydrogenation of HMF to 5-methyfurfuryl alcohol (MFA) in alkaline aqueous medium has an excellent yield and faraday efficiency, with a maximum of 0.086 mmol cm−2 h−1, which has not been reported before. The selectivity and efficiency of ECH reaction were affected by electrolyte pH. The results indicated that electrocatalytic hydrogenation were not simply related to the type of electrode catalyst, but also sensitive to electrolytes, which can give important guidance for electrocatalytic hydrogenation of biomass-based platform molecules.