Variations of Major Product Derived from Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural over a Modified MOFs-Derived Carbon Material in Response to Reaction Conditions.

In recent years, the conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 5-ethoxymethylfurfural (EMF) and ethyl levulinate (EL) has become an attractive biomass transformation route due to their potential applications in the energy and chemical industries. In this study, we have developed an effective method to prepare a catalyst for this reaction. Sulfonic-acid-functionalized carbon nanomaterials (C-SO₃H), prepared from the direct pyrolysis of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) precursor Cu-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) followed by acidification with sulfuric acid, show excellent catalytic activity with a total yield higher than 90%. It is interesting that, different from the previous catalysts, a different major product—EMF or EL—can be selectively obtained by controlling the reaction temperature and time.