Perovskite type oxide-supported Ni catalysts for the production of 2,5-dimethylfuran from biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

The hydrogenolysis of C–O and CO in 5-hydroxymethylfurfural for the production of furan biofuel 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) is of great importance for biomass refining. However, development of non-noble metal-based catalysts which perform stably for this process is still challenging. Here, perovskite-supported Ni catalysts were used for the hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural at 230 °C, with 98.3% yield of DMF being obtained. The effects of reaction conditions such as temperature and pressure were investigated and discussed, and the catalyst could maintain good activity after being used at least 5 times. In order to further explore the reaction mechanism, dynamic experiments at different times were carried out and a possible reaction pathway was proposed. The development of efficient perovskite-supported Ni catalysts verified their great potential in biomass conversion.