Synthesis of Ceria and Sulfated Zirconia Catalysts Supported on Mesoporous SBA-15 toward Glucose Conversion to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in a Green Isopropanol-Mediated System

In this work, a facile synthesis of ceria and sulfated zirconia (SZ) incorporated SBA-15 catalyst was conducted. The supported SZ reveals promising Brønsted/Lewis acid and relatively low base strength, and the base strength of the catalyst is significantly enhanced by introducing highly dispersed ceria into the network of SZ incorporated SBA-15. Systematic study of catalyst activities were carried out in iPrOH/DMSO solvent conversion of glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). It is found that the isomerization process of glucose to fructose was promoted by coexisting base and Lewis acid sites, and the dehydration reaction of reactively formed fructose to HMF was directed by Brønsted acid sites. Up to 66.5% HMF yield and 70.8% selectivity can be obtained in a 90 vol % iPrOH-mediated DMSO solvent. Through the reaction system developed in this paper, use of a large amount of environmentally hazardous solvent can be avoided, and a new method of large-scale economically viable processes for biomass conservation is provided.