Assembly of Zr-based coordination polymer over USY zeolite as a highly efficient and robust acid catalyst for one-pot transformation of fructose into 2,5-bis(isopropoxymethyl)furan

Abstract

It is highly desirable but challenging to develop a one-pot process for the transformation of fructose into 2,5-bis(isopropoxymethyl)furan (BPMF), a promising biofuel component, because a cascade sequence involving dehydration, reduction, and etherification requires multifunctional acid catalysts. Herein, we propose a facile and firm assembly of Zr/2-methylimidazole (2-MeIM) coordination polymer over USY zeolite (USY@ZrCP) through N-Al bonds formed by the condensation of 2-MeIM and the hydroxyls on USY surface at room temperature. USY@ZrCP possesses an abundance of strong Lewis acid sites with suitable amount of Bronsted acid sites, which are mainly attributed to the highly dispersed Zr(IV) species and the hydroxyls over USY@ZrCP, respectively. Unexpectedly, USY@ZrCP could offer BPMF yield up to 82.6% from fructose in isopropanol by the integration of dehydration, Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley reduction and etherification in a one-pot strategy. This work proposes a novel approach to prepare highly efficient and robust solid acid catalyst for the catalytic valorization of biomass-derived carbohydrates and their derivatives.