Selective hydrodeoxygenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2, 5-dimethylfuran over mesoporous silica supported copper catalysts

Selective catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to prepare 2, 5-dimethylfuran (DMF) was studied as this product is a good biofuel. A sequence of copper dispersed on SBA-15 catalysts are designed and tested their activity for HMF hydrodeoxygenation reaction. The physico-chemical characteristics of the catalysts are gained from powder XRD, TEM, N2-adsorption desorption, NH3-TPD, H2-TPR and N2O-chemisorptions studies. Characterization results indicate the fine dispersion of Cu metal on SBA-15 with high surface area and appropriate acidic sites. The catalyst with 15%Cu on SBA-15 showed high activity towards DMF with 90% yield. The optimized reaction conditions were 180 °C of reaction temperature, 20 bar H2 pressure, and a reaction time of 8 h to achieve maximum yield. The catalyst is recyclable and exhibits consistent activity.