Efficient production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from glucose over sulfonated carbon/γ-Al2O3 composite

• Published in: Fuel (Guildford) 2025-02, Vol.381, p.133414, Article 133414
• Main Authors: Zhang, Tingwei, Jin, Yongcan, Xiao, Huining
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural; DMSO/H2O; Glucose; Sulfonated carbon/γ-Al2O3 composite
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2024.133414

[Display omitted] •Sulfonated carbon/γ-Al2O3 composite (AlSC-x) was synthesized for glucose dehydration.•The use of AlSC-1 gave a 5-hydroxymethylfurfural yield of 62.3 % in DMSO/H2O.•AlSC-1 possessed pretty good recyclability for HMF production from glucose.•Adding a suitable amount of water to DMSO is important to improve HMF selectivity. Sulfonated carbon/γ-Al2O3 composites (AlSC-x, x = 1, 2, 3) were successfully prepared by the three-step method of impregnation-carbonization-sulfonation. The introduction of sulfonated sucrose-based carbon onto nano-γ-Al2O3 enhanced its Brønsted acidity and weakened the original Lewis acidity. The Brønsted/Lewis acidity of the composite catalysts can be regulated by controlling the sulfonated carbon intake. AlSC-1 containing suitable Brønsted/Lewis acidity showed the best catalytic performance for converting glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). In monophasic DMSO/H2O (2.0/0.2 mL), an HMF yield of 62.3 % was achieved at 160 °C and 4.0 h when 0.02 g of glucose and 0.02 g of AlSC-1 were used. Adding a moderate amount of water into DMSO is crucial to improve HMF selectivity, and the DMSO/H2O system exhibited superior performance to other solvent systems, such as pure water, 1,4-dioxane/H2O, and GVL/H2O. More importantly, the recyclability of AlSC-1 was pretty good. In addition, AlSC-1 also exhibited much better performance than the other composite catalysts, including sulfonated carbon/nano-TiO2, sulfonated carbon/nano-ZrO2, and sulfonated carbon/nano-SnO2.