Sulfated zirconia catalysts supported on mesoporous Mg-SBA-15 with different morphologies for highly efficient conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Abstract

In this work, the novel acid-base bi-functional mesoporous SBA-15 catalysts with four kinds of morphologies were synthesized by Mg incorporated and sulfated zirconia (SZ) grafted. The introduction of Mg to mesoporous SBA-15 materials significantly improves the strength of the base. And the supported SZ group exhibit effective Brønsted/Lewis acid strength. The physical and chemical properties of the prepared materials were systematically analyzed by the characterization tests of SEM, TEM, XRD, N 2 adsorption-desorption of, FT-IR, TGA, XPS, NH 3 /CO 2 -TPD and in-suit PY-IR. The obtained catalysts of SZ@Mg-SBA-15 could be applied to the fructose conversion into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) with the co-solvent system of iPrOH/DMSO ( v / v = 9:1). 5-HMF was achieved under the optimal reaction condition with the highest yield of 98.6%. The result shows that the reaction of fructose dehydration into 5-HMF could be caused by the combination of Brønsted acid site and basic site. This work developed reaction system could avoid the large use of environmentally dangerous solvents, and provides a new economical and feasible method for the large-scale conversion of fructose biomass. • Mesoporous SZ@Mg-SBA-15 catalysts were successfully synthesized. • The acid-base bifunctional sites showed synergistic effects in catalytic activity. • The highest 5-HMF yields of 98.6% can be obtained from fructose. • The developed iPrOH/DMSO co-solvent has a minimal environmental impact. • The prepared catalyst can be reused without significant loss of activity.