Ruthenium Supported on High‐Surface‐Area Zirconia as an Efficient Catalyst for the Base‐Free Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5‐Furandicarboxylic Acid

Abstract

Several ZrO₂ -supported ruthenium catalysts were prepared and utilized in the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) under base-free conditions. Full conversion of HMF and almost perfect selectivity towards FDCA (97 %) were achieved after 16 h by using pure O₂ as an oxidant and water as a solvent. The catalytic tests show that the size of the Ru particles is crucial for the catalytic performance and that the utilization of high-surface-area ZrO₂ leads to formation of very small Ru particles. Superior activity was obtained for catalysts based on ZrO₂ that had been synthesized by a surface-casting method and has high surface areas up to 256 m² g^-1 . In addition to good activity and selectivity, these catalysts show also high stability and constant activity upon recycling, confirming the suitability of Ru/ZrO₂ in the base-free oxidation of HMF.