Selective Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 1-Hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione by Biochar-Supported Ru Catalysts.

The development of sustainable and efficient catalysts -namely Ru supported on activated biochars- is carried out for the selective hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 1-hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione (HHD). Activated biochars obtained from pyrolysis and steam-based physical activation of two different biomasses from animal (leather tannery waste; A ) and vegetal (hazelnut shells; A ) origins show completely different chemical, textural, and morphological properties. Compared to A , after impregnation with 0.5 wt % Ru, A , with inner micro-mesochannels and cavities and higher layer stacking disorder, leads to better trapping and anchoring of Ru nanoparticles on the catalyst and a suitable Ru single crystal dispersion. This leads to a highly active Ru/A catalyst in the proposed reaction, giving more than 80 % selectivity to HHD and full HMF conversion at 100 °C with 30 bar H for 3 h. Ru/A also shows promising performance compared to a commercial Ru/C catalyst.