Highly efficient Cr/β zeolite catalyst for conversion of carbohydrates into 5‑hydroxymethylfurfural: Characterization and performance

In the presented work, a series of Cr/β zeolites were prepared and used as bifunctional catalysts with Brønsted and Lewis acidity in the conversion of biomass-derived carbohydrates to 5‑hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). The physicochemical properties of all catalysts were characterized by ICP-AES, N2 physisorption, solid-state 27Al NMR, XRD, SEM-EDX, UV–Vis, XPS, Raman, NH3-TPD and Py-FTIR techniques. It was found that the catalysts with appropriate total acidity, ratio of Lewis to Brønsted acid sites and acid density appear to be beneficial for HMF formation. Under mild reaction conditions, a superior 72% HMF yield with 83% selectivity was achieved from glucose in the H2O/THF biphasic system by using the 0.4-Cr/β zeolite catalyst. Moreover, the results of the stability evaluation showed that the catalytic activity of the 0.4-Cr/β zeolite was not significantly lost after four consecutive cycles, and the framework remained intact. Therefore, the catalytic approach proposed in this study is believed to provide potential prospects for the production of HMF from biomass material refining in the future. •Cr/β catalyst exhibits outstanding performance for the HMF production from carbohydrates.•The acidity of Cr/β catalyst can be tuned by adjusting the loading of chromium.•Cr/β catalyst has good hydrothermal stability and recyclability.