Heterogeneous additive‐free highly selective synthesis of 2,5‐bis(hydroxymethyl)furan over catalysts with ultra‐low <scp>Pt</scp> content

Abstract

Abstract Ultra‐low‐loaded supported Pt catalysts showed an extremely high activity in selective hydrogenation of bioavailable 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) to the corresponding diol, i.e. 2,5‐bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF); among the synthesized catalysts with a Pt content varying in the range 0.025–0.25 wt%, the most active one appeared to be the sample 0.1% Pt/CeO 2 –ZrO 2 , which allows us to obtain BHMF with a 97% yield and 100% selectivity from 5‐HMF without the use of alkali or any other additives at a temperature of 170 °C and H 2 pressure of 1 MPa, with the 5‐HMF:Pt ratio higher than 1000 mol mol –1 . © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).