Sulfated Mesoporous Niobium Oxide Catalyzed 5‑Hydroxymethylfurfural Formation from Sugars

• Published in: Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2014-09, Vol.53 (37), p.14225-14233
• Main Authors: Ngee, Ernest Lau Sze, Gao, Yongjun, Chen, Xi, Lee, Timothy Misso, Hu, Zhigang, Zhao, Dan, Yan, Ning
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0888-5885; 1520-5045
• DOI: 10.1021/ie501980t

The effectiveness of sulfated mesoporous niobium oxide (MNO-S) as a catalyst for the production of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) from sugar was studied and is reported herein. The structures of the synthesized MNO-S catalysts and commercial Nb2O5 were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Compared with commercial Nb2O5, the MNO-S-based catalysts showed a much higher surface area and acidity. MNO-S calcined at 300 °C was found to be the most effective catalyst in fructose dehydration into 5-HMF in DMSO, with a yield as high as 88% and excellent recyclability. Furthermore, the Brönsted acid sites on the surface of the catalyst enable hydrolysis and dehydration reactions to occur in a one-pot manner. As such, MNO-S effectively transforms a wide range of sugar substrates, such as sucrose, cellobiose, and even the polysaccharide inulin, into 5-HMF with reasonable yields.