Efficient manganese decorated cobalt based catalysts for hydrogenation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5‐dimethylfuran (DMF) biofuel

Abstract

Abstract2,5‐dimethylfuran (DMF) is a promising compound in the production of biofuel with high‐quality properties. In this study, it is aimed to develop new efficient catalysts to synthesize DMF from 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Co, Mn/Co, and Ru/Co catalysts were prepared using the NaBH4 reduction method. The catalysts were subjected to activity tests for the hydrogenation of HMF to DMF by changing the reaction parameters, such as temperature and time. Mn/Co catalysts prepared from metal precursors at various molar ratios of Mn/Co were found to be effective in hydrogenation reactions of HMF to DMF. A 91.8% DMF yield was achieved in the presence of a Mn/Co (50/50) catalyst without noble metal at 180°C for 4 hours. The Brunauer‐Emmet‐Teller (BET) method, x‐ray diffraction (XRD), x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and induction coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP‐MS) techniques were used to characterize the efficient Mn/Co catalyst.